Under Your Spell
by Vixey F
Summary: Damon asks Bonnie to perform a spell to make him stop loving Elena, but the spell backfired and now Elena is falling madly in love with Damon! What's going to happen when they finally find a way to break the spell? Read and find out! Rated M just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Damon.**

Damon Salvatore sat alone in the spacious Boarding House, slowly draining his bourbon. He frowned as Elena's face appeared out of nowhere in front of his eyes. Great. Now he's seeing her everywhere. When he's drinking, when he's alone, when he went to sleep, even when in his dreams, she's there. It's like he can't think about anything else, and every thought he has leads to her. Dammit, he didn't _want_ this. It was bad enough that he had to see her with Stefan all the time, now she's intruding all his thoughts too? What happened to the Damon that can switch off his feelings?

It was just too much. He didn't want to feel this way. Things were just so much easier when he wanted nothing to do with Elena. Being friends with her had been a great experience, since he never had many friends. Or, any friends, to be exact. But ever since she had said he had lost her forever, it was like a hole was burning slowly inside him.

He wished he could control what he felt. He was tired of moping around, tired of forever falling for his brother's girlfriend. He hated the way history repeated itself. If only he could just…_stop _loving Elena.

Damon tipped back his glass and swallowed down the alcohol. It scared him when he thought about how much he wanted to be with her, for her to love him back, for her to choose him over Stefan…This has got to end. The endless wonderings and what-if scenarios, they've got to end. He's had enough.

Making up his mind, he stood up abruptly. There might be one person that could help him lessen the pain. That thought had been pressing on him for days, but he refused to take action because he didn't want to appear weak and vulnerable.

But these feelings for Elena had grown too strong to be ignored. He had to do something, something that might be considered selfish and cowardice: he's going to make those feelings stop.

**Bonnie.**

Bonnie Bennet tried to close the door as soon as she realized it was Damon standing outside. But he grasped the handle firmly to prevent her from doing so.

Annoyed by this intrusion, she gave a frustrated sigh and opened the door wide enough to see him, "What do you want, Damon?" She asked in a flat voice.

"No invitation? No hugs?" Damon asked in feigned surprise, "Shocking."

Bonnie did not smile, or even let the corners of her mouth twitch. Instead, she crossed her arms in a hostile way, "What do you want?"

Damon smirked that famous smirk and crossed his arms too, but in a less serious way Bonnie did, "Easy. I want a favor."

"A favor." Bonnie repeated in disbelief, raising her eyebrows, "You're asking me for a favor? Is this a joke or something? What makes you think I'd help you with anything?"

"Which question do you want me to answer first?" Damon said good-naturally.

Bonnie reached for the handle again, "Goodbye, Damon."

"Wait, wait a second." For once, his tone actually sounded close to serious, "I'm…actually here for a spell."

"I'm doing no spells for you." Bonnie replied in a matter-of-fact voice and continued to close the door.

Damon stopped her once again by pushing the door back, "It concerns Elena." He said in a sort of desperate voice.

Bonnie hesitated, and reopened the door an inch or so, "What about Elena?" She asked dubiously.

Damon looked away. He wasn't comfortable discussing this on the porch. He wasn't comfortable discussing this, period. But Bonnie was the only witch he had any contact with right now, and he was determined to make her see that this was the best solution for everyone.

"Damon,_ what about Elena_?" Bonnie asked again in a seriously crossed voice this time.

Damon turned his gaze to her, his blue eyes hard, "I want you to do a spell that takes away my feelings for Elena."

Eyes widening with surprise, Bonnie let go of her grasp on the door. This was not what she had expected. Hell, this was the least she expected. Damon Salvatore coming over to her house to ask her to take away his heartache? This did not sound like Damon.

Bonnie shook her head slowly, "Look, Damon, even if I wanted to help you, I'm not allowed to. Witches don't have the privilege to meddle with feelings. It's just…not right. It can go seriously wrong."

"But you can do it?" Damon asked, completely ignoring her point.

Bonnie sighed in exasperation, "Yes, Damon, I…I suppose I can, but that doesn't mean I will." She added quickly, not wanting him to get the wrong idea.

"Bonnie, think about it." Damon persuaded in a winning voice, "It's just best for everyone. If I go back to not loving Elena, I'll leave her in peace. I won't do anything I'd regret."

A frown crept up Bonnie's face as Damon's words settled in. Maybe he was right. Things would be easier. For Elena, for Damon, for Stefan… But this was a very complicated spell. If anything goes wrong, it would be her responsibility. And she wasn't even sure she _could_ perform such a spell.

"I don't know, Damon…" Bonnie said finally in a hesitant voice. Damon said nothing and continued staring intently into her eyes, his jaw line hard. He was waiting for an answer.

Sighing in defeat, Bonnie stepped out of the house onto the porch to face Damon, "Alright. I'll help."

Damon's smirk returned, this time it looked somehow appreciative.

"But on one condition." Bonnie added quickly.

"Name it."

"Leave Mystic Falls." She said clearly in a very solemn voice, ignoring the look of shock on Damon's face, "Leave, and don't come back."

For the first time ever, Damon was speechless. He always knew Bonnie and he didn't get along, and he knew that she disliked him, but never had he guessed that she wanted him gone. He had no idea she detested him this much. Silently, he weighed his options. Mystic Falls held no fascination over him if it weren't for Elena. If this spell really DOES work, and he really DOES stop loving Elena, then it shouldn't matter to him where he lives.

Seeing Damon's facial expressions, Bonnie felt a twinge of guilt for her request. She took a deep breath and tried to explain, "Look, Damon, I want to believe you've changed, but what you did in the past doesn't just get erased. You manipulated Caroline, tried to take advantage of Elena, and killed many, many innocent people… It's just better if you weren't here. Safer."

Damon said nothing. The only important thing to him right now was Elena. And when Bonnie takes away those feelings, there's really nothing to tie him to Mystic Falls. There's Stefan, of course, but to say the truth, he had no desire to see Elena with Stefan all the time. And it's not like Stefan and him have such a close bond or anything.

Damon leaned back onto the wall and managed a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes, "If you do this for me, I'll leave."

"Then it's a deal." Bonnie agreed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Elena.**

Elena Gilbert turned off the shower and stepped into a bathrobe. She sensed that this was going to be the beginning of a long day. It was only morning, and yet she already felt tired and ready to go to bed.

After she blow-dried her hair and brushed it into its usual sleek sheet, she rummaged her closet for something to wear. She was halfway through her blouses when she heard the shuffling of wind usually made by Stefan or Damon when they came into her room. She straightened up and tightened her bathrobe. Looking self-consciously around the room, Elena hoped that it was Stefan who came.

"Stefan?" She asked in a small voice.

Suddenly she felt another swish of air and felt hot breath on the back of her neck. Elena inhaled sharply and jumped back-straight into Damon.

"Boo." Damon said playfully.

"…What are you doing here?" Elena demanded, feeling very exposed at the time even though the bathrobe was securely in place.

Damon stepped back to give her space. It seemed like every time he's here, she greeted him with "What are you doing here", "Why are you here", or "What do you want". He was getting tired of it, but he supposed he'd miss these encounters. This might be the last time he sees her before he leaves. He couldn't help but ask himself if it was worth it or not. A part of him really wanted to leave this place, and leave all the feelings he had for Elena behind. But another part of him just wanted to be here for her, to protect her, to just be with her.

"Damon?" Elena asked again when Damon didn't answer her. Her annoyance subsided, and she felt a little hostile for her previous demanding.

Damon smirked, looking like his old-self again, "I need to borrow you for a while."

"For what?"

"Weeeeell," Damon continued grinning as if nothing made him sad, "since you got me under your little spell, I figured the least you can do, is help me break it."

Elena frowned, trying to read between the lines, "What are you talking about?"

A lazy smile crept up Damon's face as he took in how serious she looked. She was so beautiful that he wondered whether Bonnie was even powerful enough to manage to cast the spell. It would take a _lot_ to make him stop loving her.

"Just get dressed and come with me." He said, attempting to sound soothing.

Shooting him a doubtful look, Elena grabbed a pair of jeans and a tank top and made her way to the bathroom. She closed the door gently behind her and dressed slowly. She wasn't sure exactly why she was procrastinating, but she knew that whatever Damon had planned, it wasn't something she'd look forward to.

But weirdly, she trusted him. After everything that's happened, it would be unnatural to _not_ trust him. A part of her was even relieved that it was Damon who was here, not Stefan. It was just so much easier to talk to Damon, someone who never looks like he's taking anything seriously. It was…comfortable to be around him. It was easier to be herself.

Elena shook her head, wondering why she's thinking all this all of a sudden. She pulled on her jeans and tank top, and walked barefoot out of the bathroom. Damon was settled comfortably on her bed, his hands tucked behind his head and her teddy bear on his chest. Even though he's frequently in this position in her bed, it seemed a bit different this time. He was still smiling lazily, but it looked somehow…sentimental.

Damon got up swiftly and put Elena's teddy bear back gently on her pillow. A second later, he was at the front door, waiting for Elena. He looked around the house that he'd never set foot in again as Elena slowly came down the stairs. It seemed like everything he was going to miss contained Elena. Again, he wondered whether he should continue with this spell or not.

He convinced himself it's all for the best. After all, Elena belonged to his brother. And he didn't deserve her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, everyone****. My name is Vixey, and I'm Chinese. I live in Beijing, and I usually update at night, so due to the time difference, that'll be your morning. (Assuming you're in North America.)**

**Since English isn't my first language, I hope you'll forgive my many, many grammar mistakes and odd phrases. (I'm still working on my English!)**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! This is my first story, so the reviews meant a LOT to me! :D **

**Oh, and I'm totally biased when it comes to Delena, so to anyone who really likes Stefan or hopes to see more of him: sorry! XD**

**P.S. I don't own the characters. (But I wish I did. :P)**

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**Chapter 3**

**Delena and Friends.**

Bonnie was surprised when Elena showed up at the Boarding House. She didn't think Elena would approve of this spell. But then again, the choice was Elena's. She gave Elena a quick hug, "You came. I wasn't sure you'd be up for this."

Bewildered, Elena let go of Bonnie, "Up for what? What's going on? What are you doing here, Bonnie?"

Bonnie looked over Elena's shoulder at the smirking Damon. "You didn't tell her?" She asked in a disapproving voice.

Damon saw Stefan coming into view behind Bonnie and felt his smirk disappear, "You told _him_?"

Elena caught sight of Stefan and walked towards him, letting him embrace her in a hug and kiss the top of her head. Damon purposely looked away. He consoled himself that he wouldn't have to deal with this any longer when the spell is cast.

"Stefan. What is all this?" Elena asked, raising her head to look at him.

Stefan let go of her but took her hand. He looked around at Damon, who was no longer smirking, and turned his gaze back to Elena, "Bonnie's doing a spell, Elena. And you're…you're a part of it. I've discussed it with Bonnie already, and we both think it's for the best. But if you don't want to, no one is going to force you, ok? It's all up to you." He asked gently, tucking a strand of her brown hair behind her ears.

"A spell?" Elena turned sharply to look at Damon, but he was determined not to look at her, "What kind of spell?" She asked with an edge to her voice.

"A spell to make him fall_ out_ of love with you." Bonnie answered quietly.

Elena's eyes widened with surprise. She knew that Damon had feelings for her, but he never said it was love, and he never expressed it. She had no idea she had such a deep impact on him, so deep that he's turning to witchcraft.

"And…and you agreed to this?" She asked, directing the question to Bonnie. She knew Bonnie better than she knew anyone, and she was sure Bonnie did not like Damon, so why was she going along with this?

Bonnie's eyes flickered, "He promised me to leave town after this."

Elena's breath got caught in her throat. She looked at Damon in disbelief, not quite processing all the information. He was leaving? She didn't want him to leave. What would Mystic Falls be without him? Every time she was in danger, he was there for her. How could he just make this decision and just…leave? It was true that when he first arrived, she wanted him gone, but over the time she had gotten to know him, and he's more than he gives himself credit for. He's not a monster at all; he had a heart. He just wasn't comfortable letting people in.

She whirled around and saw Stefan and Bonnie standing shoulder to shoulder, waiting for her response, yet how was she supposed to respond to this?

"It's for the best, Elena." Stefan repeated broodingly.

Elena ignored him and faced Damon, "Is this what you want?"

Damon clamped his jaw shut as he watched Elena's expression. He thought it would be simple to leave, but it's not. Elena had not said that she wanted him to stay, but he knew she wanted him to. She looked so hurt and so confused that he couldn't bear leaving her. But he was selfish, and he could never be with her anyway. Stefan was right. It was for the best.

"Yeah." Damon answered finally, "It's what I want." He lied through his teeth so convincingly that he almost fooled himself.

Pain swept over Elena as Damon's icy words reached her ears. It was like he was saying he wanted nothing to do with her anymore. He sounded so adamant that she felt like he just didn't care anymore.

"Fine, then." Elena stated, "It's better this way anyway." She pressed on, not really meaning what she said.

A flicker of anguish flashed across Damon's face, but he turned away before anyone could see him.

Bonnie looked unsure again. Damon, Elena and Stefan had all agreed to this spell, but none of them looked too happy about it. She wondered whether she should proceed or not. Taking a deep breath, she started explaining the process, "This is…a spell that's originally not effective to vampires, but since Elena is involved, it should work."

She set down a fat candle between Elena and Damon. As soon as the candle touched the floor, it lit up on its own. Reaching into her pocket, Bonnie pulled out a small container and took two hairs from it.

"What's that?" Elena asked.

"It's hair that belongs to both of you. Damon got it." Bonnie explained.

Elena's eyes traveled to Damon, "You took my hair?"

"I got it from Stefan's bed." Damon said grimly in a monotonous voice that sounded almost glacial.

All of them watched as Bonnie lowered the hairs to the flame. Weirdly, the hairs didn't burn. Instead, they stayed the way they were.

"I need you two to sit down, and hold hands." Bonnie said, "When the spell starts, I'll be chanting in Latin, and I won't stop until it's over. No matter what happens, don't let go of each other's hands until I say you can, ok? If you let go, then you break the spell in mid-way. When the spell is done, the flame will go out as a sign of the demise of your relationship."

Wordlessly, Damon and Elena sat down across from each other. Damon held out his hands, and felt Elena hesitate before she slipped her smaller, warmer hands into his. He grasped them tightly, not sure whether he could have another chance of taking her hand after this.

Elena let him squeeze her hands and refused to break eye contact. She could feel his desperation, and it matched her own. She didn't want this. She didn't want him to feel nothing towards her, and she certainly didn't want him to leave Mystic Falls. But when the first words of Latin poured out of Bonnie's mouth, Elena knew it was too late. Instead, she held Damon's hands firmly.

Bonnie continued chanting in Latin as the flame wavered and danced, casting distorted shadows on Damon and Elena's faces.

Elena felt a tear make its way out of the corner of her eye, leaving a trail of salty water across her cheek. In just a few minutes, it'll all be over, and Damon would be gone from her life. Suddenly she wondered why she didn't choose Damon over Stefan. Was it because of the fact that Damon was leaving that made her feel like this?

Across from Elena, Damon watched as Elena shed a silent tear. It was breaking his heart, but he knew he couldn't let go. There was nothing for them to do right now except hold on to each other. He couldn't jeopardize the spell, so he stroked the back of her hand instead, and she gave him a watery smile.

Bonnie chanted faster in a more urgent voice as she reached the end of the spell. As the last word was spoken, the flame, instead of dying out, lit up so high that the blaze came dangerously close to burning Elena's hair.

Elena shrieked lightly as the flame reached its highest level and backed away from it, jerking her hands out of Damon's altogether.

"No! Elena!" Damon yelled, but the tips of her fingers had already left his palm.

"NO!" Bonnie echoed even more frantically as the flame continued to shoot higher.

For a second, all four of them stared at the abnormal height of the flame, then Stefan came forward and pulled Elena back from harm. Her foot got in contact with the candle and knocked it over. At once, all the fire went out as if it never happened.

Ringing silence reached Elena's ears as she remained motionless, watching the burnt out candle. It had gone wrong. The spell had gone wrong. She didn't know what was going to happen, but she knew it wasn't going to be good. She turned her head to look at Bonnie, but she looked just as helpless as she did.

"Bonnie," Elena choked, getting up from the floor, "Bonnie, I-I let go of Damon's hands. W-What's going to happen?"

"I don't know!" Bonnie said in an equally messed up voice, "The flame wasn't supposed to light up! Unless…unless…" Her voice died down.

"Unless what?" Stefan asked, gripping Elena's shoulder from behind tightly.

"Unless it was indicating not the demise of the relationship, but the beginning." Bonnie whispered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Damon asked sharply.

"It means…that instead of an anti-love spell, I did a love spell." Bonnie said in a strangled voice, "And since you already love Elena, I guess it means that…that Elena's going to gradually have feelings…for you."

Elena inhaled deeply, not believing what she had just heard. Her mouth was so dry that her lips were chapped. She opened her mouth several times before she could speak into the deafening silence, "Do you mean I'm going to fall in love with Damon?" Her voice broke in mid-sentence.

Seeing Bonnie nod slowly was the last straw. Elena stumbled away from Stefan and hugged herself around the middle, "I-I need to leave." She mumbled and made for the door before anyone could stop her.

No one did.

They were just as shocked as she was.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Elena.**

Elena's phone rang again, but she ignored the call as usual. It was Stefan. He had called nine times, but she wasn't in the mood to discuss this matter yet. She turned off her cell phone and went back to writing in her journal on her bed. Her hand was moving across the pages, and she was writing words, but she didn't even know what she was writing about. It seemed like everything was a "blank" to her now. Sighing, she closed the journal and put it back behind the painting.

Elena brought her knees to her chin and rested her forehead on them. She was scared and very confused. The thought of falling in love with Damon, and against her own will, scared her more than anything. She wished her hadn't gone along with the spell. She wished she hadn't lost her head back there. Maybe if she hadn't pulled out her hands, the spell would have gone differently. Maybe it would have worked, and she'd be here, in her room, mourning Damon's absence instead of worrying about her love-life.

Bonnie had called countless times as well, but Elena didn't feel like speaking with her either. She read the many texts Bonnie sent about how sorry she was and how she was trying to find a way to break the spell. _More like the curse_, Elena thought bitterly. Making someone love someone else was a cruel thing to do, and a cruel thing to experience too. A part of her couldn't help but wonder if Damon had planned for the spell to fail this way. It is just perfect for him that the spell backfired like this.

She shook her head dismissively. How could she think such a thing? Damon wasn't like that. She was getting paranoid due to the earlier events. Elena slid down on her bed to rest her head on the pillow. She squeezed her eyes shut and willed for the nightmare to go away. She didn't want to knowingly develop feelings for anyone. She was with Stefan. What's going to happen to their relationship when she stops loving him?

"Elena?"

Her eyes snapped open as she recognized the owner of the concerned voice. Turning her head slowly, she saw Damon, looking as gorgeous as ever. Gorgeous! Was the spell working already? He's always been gorgeous. She knew that. There's no reason to notice it right now.

"I don't really want to talk, Damon." Elena replied, and rolled over so she didn't have to face him. She didn't hear anything in return. Supposing he had left, Elena sighed again softly and closed her eyes. But a second later, someone was sliding into bed next to her, although he did have the decency to stay on top of the covers.

Damon did not push towards Elena as he sat next to her with his head resting on the headboard. He could see her back tense, but after a few moments, she relaxed.

Neither of them said anything, but the silence was comforting. Elena no longer felt alone. She wasn't in this by herself. Damon was here too, like he's always been. She pulled herself into a sitting position right next to him.

"What's going to happen to me?" She asked in a small voice, not really expecting an answer.

Damon gathered her into his arms. He did this in slow motion so that if she felt uneasy, she could push him away. She didn't, though, and that made him feel slightly happier. However, she was trembling as she buried her face in his chest, seeking comfort.

"Nothing." He answered adamantly, "I won't let anything happen to you."

_I swear. _He added silently.

**Delena and Friends.**

The next day, Elena, Damon, Stefan and Bonnie met at The Grill to talk over this whole incident. None of them were in a very good mood, and both Bonnie and Elena looked restless and tired. Damon and Stefan, being vampires, looked just the way they normally did, which was ridiculously handsome.

They had picked a booth in the corner, not wanting to be overheard. Even so, Bonnie kept her voice low when she spoke.

"I looked into that particular spell last night," She looked very disturbed as she filled them in on the latest information, "and…my hypothesis was right. Elena…_is_ going to fall in lo-"

"Yeah, okay. I got that." Elena said quickly, cutting off the last words Bonnie was about to say. She wasn't sure she could handle this yet. She still wasn't ready to face reality.

Stefan remained cool and calm as always. Taking Elena's hand assuredly, he turned towards Bonnie, "Is there any way to break the spell?"

Bonnie bit her bottom lip and shook her head, "…No. Since Elena let go during the incantation, the spell is unfinished. I can't perform another spell when the first one wasn't done properly."

"So this is going to be effective forever?" Stefan asked with a stunned look on his face as he subconsciously tightened his hold on Elena's hand.

"The spell is only effective as long as it still has its targets." Bonnie answered elusively.

"What do you mean?" Elena spoke up.

Damon sighed exasperatedly. It was like he was the only one here who could put two and two together. Elena and Stefan were just hopeless. He shot a look at them and saw their fingers entwined under the table.

"She means that the spell is effective until one of us dies." Damon said in a detached voice. All three looked at him with different expressions. Bonnie's was accusing, as though she couldn't believe he would just say it so straight-forwardly. Elena and Stefan's were alarmed, as though that thought never crossed their minds.

Damon leaned back onto his chair and directed his gaze at Bonnie, "Am I not right?"

Bonnie avoided his gaze immediately. "You are." She murmured in a low voice.

"Well, that's not an option." Stefan said in a final sort of tone, "We'll have to keep searching for other ways."

"But there _are_ no more ways." Bonnie said in despair.

"Then we'll make one." Damon told her firmly.

Bonnie sighed. She didn't want to leave them with no hope, but she couldn't lie either. The truth was that they, Elena and Damon, are _going_ to fall in love, and there's nothing she can do about it. If Grams were here, she could ask her. _But_, Bonnie thought grimly, _she's not here anymore_. There's no one to turn to for help. No one except…

"Lucy!" Bonnie suddenly exclaimed, letting a smile break over her face and making Elena jump in her seat. "I can ask Lucy what to do! She's a witch, a powerful one too, and…and she's family."

"I'll go with you." Damon volunteered at once. This was his fault that Elena was stuck in this place anyway. If he hadn't been so selfish and asked Bonnie to perform this spell, none of this would have happened. Going with Bonnie, even though she didn't like him very much, meant that he'd be away from Elena. Hopefully, with him gone, she'll be able to continue with her life like nothing happened. By the time he comes back, maybe this could all be over, and Elena would no longer be the victim of this spell. Plus, it wasn't safe for Bonnie to travel alone that far by herself. He could offer some protection, if she let him.

Elena felt disappointment surge through her as Damon quickly jumped at the opportunity to get away from her. She understood, of course. He didn't want to be around when she's under this spell, and she didn't want him around either in case she did something stupid. Like try to kiss him. Elena blushed as she pushed that thought away. Here she was, sitting at The Grill and discussing how to break this spell, and she's thinking about kissing Damon? Thank God it was dark that no one could see her cheeks reddening. What was wrong with her? Was this all because of the spell? All of a sudden, she was very aware of the fact that Damon sat impossibly close to her. She was wedged between Damon and Stefan, and even though she had no skin contact with Damon, she felt herself tense up.

Elena's thoughts were interrupted as Bonnie looked uneasy again at the offer Damon just made. Trying to phrase this as impassively as she could, Bonnie kept her tone cautious, "You can't go with me, Damon." She said carefully, "Elena's going to have to see you as she develops feelings for you. If you're away, she's going to get depressed, moody, miserable…" Her voice trailed away.

"Great." Elena said sarcastically. So much for her plan to avoid Damon before the spell is broken.

"I'm sorry." Bonnie said, and she looked it too. "Just think of it as…a side effect, or something."

No one said anything for a while. When someone finally did speak, it was Stefan.

He did not let go of Elena's hand as he said in a resolute voice, "I'll go then."


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks so much for the reviews! And a special thanks to Perfect Pirate Captain, monnalisa, Elle0731, Crimson-kiss 17(What does 17 stand for? It's my lucky number. :P), smithsbabe65 and Barbara SGB. Your names are getting very familiar to me! :D **

**If you have any suggestions about where the story should go, please let me know. ALL ADVICE WILL BE CONSIDERED. **

**Thanks again! **

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**Chapter 5**

**Elena.**

School was horrible the next day. With Stefan and Bonnie gone to look for Lucy, Elena was left almost friendless. History class was the worst. Whenever she caught sight of the empty seats in front of her, she immediately thought of the spell she was under. She spaced out the whole day, not hearing anything the teacher was saying. And of course, her thoughts always led to Damon some way or another.

Caroline had asked her about Bonnie's whereabouts, and Elena, not wanting anyone else to know about her current situation, had answered that she didn't know. Caroline was skeptical, but was distracted because at that exact moment, Matt had walked past. Elena was thankful for his timing.

When school was finally over, Elena found herself thinking of reasons to go to the Boarding House. She'd very much like to run into Damon right now, but she convinced herself that she only wanted to see him because he's the only one here now.

Listing various excuses to stop by at Damon's, Elena walked out of the school with her head buzzing with thoughts. However, she needn't have come up with a reason. Damon was standing right there by her car, waiting for her.

"Damon!" Elena exclaimed, failing to hide the cheerfulness in her voice, "What…what are you doing here?" She looked at him closely. It seemed that he had recovered rather quickly after last night. He was wearing his favorite leather jacket with black jeans, and his boyish grin was back on his face.

The corner of Damon's mouth twitched. There it is again. The "what are you doing here". Can't she think of any other ways to greet him? But she looked happy to see him, and her heart was beating so much faster, so he offered her a lopsided grin, "Thought I'd pay a visit to a girl who's hopelessly falling in love with an unbelievably handsome gentleman." He winked playfully, "AKA, _me_."

Elena couldn't help but let a small smile take place of her current frown. Damon was the same Damon, still deviously handsome and cocky. It was nice to know he didn't change after what happened. It almost made the situation seem normal.

"I'm not falling in love with you, Damon." She said firmly, talking to herself more than him.

"Really?" Damon asked, faking genuine astonishment, "And is that evidenced by your heart going twice its speed when I showed up?" He cocked his head a little to the side, as if expecting an answer.

Elena felt her cheeks burn and hoped he didn't see it, "You caught me by surprise." She tried to explain.

"I tend to do that." His smile stretched even wider. Now Elena was sure he saw her blush.

"I'm going home now." She said, walking towards her car, wanting very much to end this conversation.

Damon opened the passenger's door and jerked his chin towards her car, "Hop in, then."

**Damon.**

Damon was in a very good mood as he drove around with Elena sitting next to him. It brought back some memories of when he drove them to Georgia. And that were some great memories. They had such a good time. He hoped they would again tonight.

He purposely missed the turning when they came close to her house and took another route, wondering when she would realize that he wasn't taking her home. Sure enough, Elena's back arched as she peered out of the window at the passing houses.

"This isn't the way back home." She frowned, turning her head to look at Damon.

The confused look on her face was so vulnerable that Damon had to force himself to keep his eyes on the road. "Very observant." He said mockingly.

Elena chose to ignore the sarcasm and focus on the more important matter instead, "Where are you taking me? I have to get home before dinner, you know. Aunt Jenna is expecting me."

"No, she isn't." Damon said easily, "I told her you'd be with me."

"You compelled her?" Elena asked disbelievingly.

Damon felt offended that she would think he's do such a thing. He knew to respect her and her family, and couldn't help feeling a little hurt that she would think so little of him. Then again, after the Jeremy incident, he couldn't really blame her for thinking this way.

"I didn't compel her." He assured her, "I asked, very nicely, if I could take you out. She didn't seem too thrilled though. But after the flowers, she was less reluctant to say no."

Elena could hear the proud note in his voice, but she doubted that Aunt Jenna liked Damon. The flowers must have gotten him a lot closer, though.

"So," She asked slowly, "is this…a date?"

"Do you want it to be?" Damon asked back.

Taken back by the question, Elena felt her throat tightening. They were walking on dangerous ground here, and she didn't want to cross the line. As much as she wished that this _was_ a date, she told herself that these feelings were just the aftermath of the spell.

"…No." She finally replied, but her voice didn't seem too convincing even to her.

Damon, however, overlooked that fact. "Then it's not a date. Just two friends hanging out."

**Elena.**

A half hour later, they were at the destination. The sun was setting, leaving everything in semi-darkness, which was really quite romantic.

As Damon opened the car door for her like a perfect gentleman, Elena stepped out of her car and took in the sight in front of her.

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't impressed. It was a beautiful open-air restaurant by the lake. The tables were set all around the water, and there was light music playing in the background. Because the sun had finally set, the moonlight gave the perfect sheen. The whole place seemed so tranquil and so romantic that Elena felt truly awed for being in its presense.

"Welcome to my sanctuary," Damon said from behind her when words failed Elena.

Elena took in the sight again, entirely impressed by Damon's aesthetic standards. "It's…it's beautiful, Damon." She gushed. She never gushed, but this seemed like a good time to start.

At that moment, a well-dressed waiter came up to them. Recognizing Damon immediately, he smiled and gave them a small bow, "Mr. Salvatore! The usual spot?"

"Yea, thank you, Arthur." Replied Damon in a polite voice that Elena never heard him use before.

"What's the usual spot?" She asked in an undertone, wondering if any more surprises will greet her.

"See for yourself." Damon winked.

The waiter led them to a table right under a huge willow tree on the edge of the bank. With the reflections of the moonlight in the water and the gentle breeze causing the wickers to waver, the landscape looked serene and enchanting, as if a scenery from a movie. Elena was deeply astounded as the waiter pulled out her chair for her. She sat down across from Damon, who was still grinning mischievously at her.

There were no menus waiting for them. Instead, the waiter brought their courses one by one, and they were all delicious. Elena couldn't remember the last time she ate this much. She was so full, but the food was simply too good to waste.

When they finally finished the last course, Elena felt bloated, but very delighted. She still couldn't believe Damon could be so romantic. And this wasn't even a date. Just two friends hanging out, as Damon had said.

Across from Damon, Elena smiled at him. The moonlight made him look even more mysterious and intriguing than he did. He grinned lazily back at her, obviously satisfied with himself.

When Arthur brought them a basket of breadsticks, Elena glanced at Damon hopelessly, "I don't think I can eat another bite." She confessed.

Damon, however, got up from his seat and took the basket with him, "These aren't for you, Elena." He said with a smile.

Elena got up too and followed him to the water. She watched as Damon knelt down and tore at the breadsticks. When he was finished, he threw the fragments into the lake. Minutes later, a flock of ducks swam slothfully towards them and started gobbling down the pieces.

Quickly, she joined him to feed the ducks. This night was turning out to be one of the best nights she had ever encountered. When the last piece of bread was thrown into the lake, they sat shoulder to shoulder on the grass for a long time, watching the moonlit ripples of the lake. Elena didn't want to admit it, but she was wishing more and more this could be a date which ended with a kiss. Sitting so close to Damon after a fantastic evening wasn't something she had planned for today, but it was her favorite event so far.

"Damon?" She asked quietly as she stared into the beautiful view in front of her.

"Hm?"

"Why'd you take me here?"

Damon used a moment to compose his words, "…I used to come here whenever I wanted to get away from reality. It's just…peaceful here. I was hoping it'd take your mind off the spell."

Elena smiled. He was so thoughtful and considerate that right now she couldn't connect him to the monstrous vampire he once was. "It did. Thank you." She said genuinely.

"Your welcome," Damon replied and stood up abruptly, "Now, would you like to dance?" He offered her his hand and smirked at her expression.

"But…" Elena looked around. There were other couples here, but they were all eating and chatting quietly. "There's no one dancing."

"So?" Damon shrugged and pulled Elena to her feet, "There's music, isn't there?"

Smiling, Elena let herself be pulled into his arms. She must have looked ridiculous dancing with Damon in jeans and a T-shirt, but at that moment, she didn't care. She didn't care about the other people staring at them, or the spell, or anything else at all. All she cared about was being in Damon's arms, feeling his touch on her and returning his never-faltering grin.

When the waiter, Arthur, saw them dancing, he changed the music to a faster beat. Elena shrieked with laughter as Damon twirled her around. She couldn't remember the last time she had fun like this. Trust Damon to always make her laugh. And as the last note of the song was played, Damon dipped her. At that moment, she was sure her heart fluttered.

**Damon.**

Pulling into the driveway in front of Elena's house, Damon hopped out of her car and opened her door for her again, "See? Back before ten. Am I a perfect gentleman or what?"

"An _obnoxious_ gentleman, more like." Elena corrected, rolling her eyes.

It had been a long time since he last heard Elena joke. It was nice to hear it again. And he was proud he had made her happy. Back when they were dancing, he had to use all of his self control to not kiss her. For a moment, he was sure she had wanted him to. But the moment passed as quickly as it came, so he had tried his best to recover from it.

"Damon…" Elena started what seemed to be a very long speech. Damon waited patiently for the rest, but it didn't come. Elena seemed to be fighting with what she had to say. After a long pause, too long to be considered natural, she simply smiled at him and said, "Thank you for tonight."

Damon almost lost himself in her smile. She was so beautiful that right now, there were no words to describe her. He knew he would miss these moments dearly when they're over, but also knew that they would make a great memory which he will treasure forever.

"That was a great non-date, wasn't it?" He asked in a haughty voice.

Elena's laughter warmed him inside out. "The best." She assured him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Elena.**

Elena went back into her house with a smile plastered to her face. She just had the best evening. It was like nothing could make her feel bad again. She almost had an urge to call Stefan and Bonnie to tell them to come home already, that she's fine with the spell and it's doing no harm to her. Her smile started to fade when she slowly realized that she wanted to feel like this. She wanted to get attached to Damon. In fact, no one else really mattered at this moment.

What was she thinking? Elena shuddered and shook those thoughts away. She felt like giving in to the spell. She wanted to know where it takes her. Was it very wrong of her to think that way? Elena made her way to her bedroom as quietly as possible, not wanting to disturb anyone. She felt very confused now about her feelings. She started to tiptoe when she came close to Jeremy's room, but as soon as she reached the top of the stairs, Jeremy threw open his door and poked his head out.

"Elena, you're back."

"Hey." She smiled, a little startled by this sudden greeting.

Jeremy looked very serious as he stepped out of his room, "You left your cell phone at home. Stefan called a million times."

Stefan. And Bonnie. Right, how could she have forgotten about that? It was like one evening with Damon, and all the problems just somehow leaked out of her head. "Oh," She felt the smile leaving her face, "I'll call him back right now."

"Elena…" Jeremy stopped her from going into her room, "He called the house too. I told him you went out, but he sounded really serious. And urgent. Is…is everything okay with the two of you?"

Elena was touched that Jeremy was concerned about her, but she wished she didn't have to answer his questions, "Yeah, everything's fine." She told him, although she wasn't really sure herself.

Jeremy searched his sister's face. She looked uncomfortable again, as if he's repeatedly hitting her where it hurts. Raising his eyebrows, he asked slowly, "Is there anything you want to tell me?"

Elena sighed. She remembered that she promised she wouldn't keep anything from Jeremy. And she shouldn't. He's her brother, and he deserved to know. She just didn't want him to make a big deal of this. And of course, she didn't want to burden him with her problems.

But nevertheless, Elena took a deep breath and explained everything to Jeremy. From the disastrous spell to Stefan and Bonnie going to find Lucy for help, and then to her growing feelings for Damon. When she was finally finished, she was exhausted, and couldn't wait to climb into bed.

Jeremy remained silent for a long time before offering his opinion on the whole thing. "Well, there's an easy solution to this," He said easily, "Kill Damon."

"No!" Elena exclaimed, shocked by this reaction. She guessed she couldn't blame him. Damon _did_ try to kill him. "Jer, I told you this because I trust you. But please don't get involved, ok? Everything's going to be fine."

"…Okay," Jeremy finally said after a very long pause. He reached out and hugged Elena, "but break this spell as soon as possible."

**Elena.**

Elena called Stefan the minute she found her cell phone, which was abandoned on a pile of clothes. She dialed his number with shaking fingers, feeling her heart sink lower and lower. Whatever he had to tell her, she knew it wasn't good, and she dreaded it. She hoped that both Stefan and Bonnie were okay. She'd never forgive herself if one of them got hurt while attempting to clean up _her_ mess.

The phone rang for a long time before Stefan answered, and when he finally did, he sounded even more tired than she did.

"Stefan?" Elena asked into the receiver.

"Elena, hey," Stefan said at once, "I have some bad news. Lucy isn't here."

"What?" Elena replied automatically. This was the least she has expected.

Stefan sounded a little agitated now, "We're at her apartment, but it's empty. The superintendent says she hasn't been home for days."

"Oh my God," Elena whispered, sitting down on her bed and clutching her phone so tightly that her knuckles turned white, "Where…where do you think she is?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

Stefan sighed on the other end, "We have no idea, but it looks like we're gonna be here longer than I intended. Are you going to be okay with Damon?"

"I'll be fine." Elena said firmly. _More than fine_, she thought as the memory of tonight played itself in front of her eyes. "But…you guys be careful, okay? I don't like the sound of this."

"Nor do I," Stefan agreed, "I have to go, Elena. I love you."

Her heart thudded against the cage of her ribs at those words. She felt like she couldn't breathe. Not because of joy or ecstasy, but because somehow she couldn't bring herself to say those words back.

"I…" Elena tried to make her lips say those three little words but failed to do so, "Take care of yourself." She finished lamely before hanging up.

She stared at the motionless cell phone for a while before running her hands anxiously through her hair. Was she seriously doubting her feelings for Stefan? Was this because of this spell? She buried her face in her hands and sighed. Right now, she felt like the worst girlfriend in the world.

**Damon.**

As soon as Damon got the disturbing call from Stefan concerning Lucy's whereabouts, he made for Elena's house. He knew she got the same phone call, and he wanted to see if she were ok. She might not have realized the graveness of this matter yet. Lucy suddenly disappearing isn't a coincidence. There's something very fishy about it.

Damon was glad her window was open. It was like she was expecting him. But when he inconspicuously went into her room, he found her sleeping soundly in her bed.

He closed the window behind him quietly, not wanting her to get cold due to the chilly wind. Then, he turned to watch her sleep. Again, he noticed how beautiful she was. He would have given anything right there to crawl into bed next to her and let her sleep on his chest. But instead, he reached out his hand and gently tucked a strand of her chestnut hair behind her ears. He wondered to himself what would have happened if _he_ was the one who first arrived in Mystic Falls and first met Elena. Would things have turned out differently? Would _he_ be the one beside her instead of Stefan?

Elena inhaled deeply in her sleep. She frowned ever so slightly, and relaxed her expression again. She was dreaming.

Damon knew he shouldn't have, but he couldn't resist. He promised himself that he would only peek at what she was dreaming about and not change a thing about the dream. He wasn't Katherine. He had no interest in manipulating her dreams.

Slowly, he closed his eyes and dived into Elena's dream.

The first thing that greeted him was a beach. He was standing barefoot on the sand. And not too far away from him, were Elena and Stefan. They were both standing in the water, which reached their claves. Elena was laughing as she splashed water on Stefan. He was laughing too. It was quite a picture.

Damon watched them for a while as they repeated the actions. He wondered if he should leave right now. But Elena caught sight of him and enthusiastically waved him over, "Damon! Come join us!"

"I'm good, thanks." Damon replied, pushing his hands deeper into his pockets.

"Come on!" Elena ran towards him. She was wearing a strapless white dress that looked weirdly like a wedding dress, except much shorter. She grabbed his forearm and pulled him into the water with her. As soon as his feet felt the cool water, Stefan was gone.

Elena whirled around, confused. "Stefan?" She asked, not understanding why he had disappeared like that.

"Do you want him to come back?" Damon asked her. He was in her dream, and it would be easy to make Stefan appear again.

Elena, however, shook her head, "No. It's okay," She smiled at him and took his hand, "You're here."

Damon swore that at that moment, if his heart could beat, it would have rated a thousand times a minute. He wanted to tell her he loved her. It would be okay. They were in her dream. She'd just think she dreamt the whole thing when she wakes up.

But before he could even open his mouth, the sun began to set at an impossibly quick speed. Elena dropped his hand and wrapped her arms around herself, "I'm cold." She said in a whimper, "Let's go back."

"Back where?" Damon asked.

"The Boarding House, of course," Elena smiled, "Stefan would be waiting for us."

Sure enough, as soon as Damon turned around, he found the Boarding House on the shore facing them. This was a dream after all, anything was possible. But Damon felt like he had intruded enough. He did not follow Elena when she made her way out of the water.

"You go." He nodded at her, "He's waiting for _you_, not me."

Elena took his hand again and refused to leave him here, "He's waiting for _both _of us. He's going to break the spell."

"Oh." Damon allowed himself to fall in step with Elena. He didn't know what to say right now, but that was okay because Elena didn't notice.

She walked ahead of him to the Boarding House and walked in first. When Damon stepped in, he found it not the way it was supposed to be. Instead of the huge living room, he saw an eerie hallway so long that it seemed endless.

"Stefan?" Elena called to the darkness. No one answered her. So she started to walk towards down the hallway.

Damon followed her immediately, not wanting her dream to turn into a nightmare. But she was oblivious to his presence and kept on calling Stefan's name over and over again with Stefan nowhere to be seen.

Just when Damon thought he would make Stefan appear, a cold voice answered to Elena's calls.

"Stefan isn't here." The owner of the voice sneered.

Damon narrowed his eyes. He recognized that voice anywhere. And seeing the expression on Elena's face, so did she.

"Katherine." Elena backed away from the woman that looked identical to her.

"Relax," Katherine smiled coldly, "I'm here to help." Her eyes rested on Damon as her lips curled.

"Help with what?" Elena asked cautiously, still backing away from her.

Katherine shrugged, "I broke the spell." She said innocently, even pouting a little.

Elena's eyes reflected momentary surprise, "You broke the spell? How?"

"Like this." Katherine reached Damon in less than a second and plunged a stake directly into his heart.

Elena's screams filled his ears as he fell down to the floor. He was right. This _had_ turned into a nightmare. It was a good thing he was here to fix her dream. Slowly, he pulled the stake out without enduring pain of any sort. He dropped the stake and got up steadily, wanting to prove to her that he wasn't hurt and definitely wasn't dead.

"D-Damon?" Elena stammered, her hands shaking violently, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He said soothingly. He took her hand and put it over his un-beating heart, "See?"

Elena felt his chest, and there was no wound. She breathed a sigh of relief, "You scared me…Where's Katherine?"

"She's gone." Damon said confidently. He had taken her away from Elena's dream. He should have done it sooner, too, but at least this dream didn't end with him turning into a corpse. "It's just us." He told her.

Elena threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest, "I'm glad."

Damon hugged her back but felt like he was invading too much. He let go quickly and gestured for Elena to get out of the Boarding House. As soon as she stepped out of it, he changed her dream and brought her back to her original setting, which was in the water with Stefan.

"Stefan?" Elena asked perplexedly.

Silently, Damon turned away and retreated from the scene… Back in her bedroom, he tucked in the corners of the blanket around Elena before pressing the softest kiss ever to her forehead. He hoped the rest of the dream would be relaxing. He was about to leave when he realized that there was one more reason he was here tonight.

Damon took out a small box that looked suspiciously like it contained a ring and set in beside Elena's pillow. He took one last look at her and was gone.

Elena watched Stefan smile at her and splash water on her, but something didn't seem right.

"Where's Damon?" She asked him, "He was just here."

Stefan didn't answer her. He was continued smiling silently as if someone had pushed his "mute" button.

Elena turned away from him and looked around, "Damon?" She asked helplessly. She was so sure he was here a moment ago.

Stefan came up behind her. He felt the wind and her hair on his face. When he spoke, it was more like a statement than a question, and he voice was sorrowful.

"You're falling in love with him, aren't you?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Many thanks to Perfect Pirate Captain, LoveEpicLove (Your story is wonderful, BTW.), BadBoysAreBest (My favorite author! :P), and of course, Babara SGB.**

**And a special thanks to smithsbabe65 for her fantastic review!**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 7**

**Elena.**

Elena woke up to the sunlight shooting through her curtains. She shielded her eyes from the beams and rolled over on her bed, knocking something small and hard onto the floor. All of a sudden she felt wide awake. She climbed out of bed and knelt down on the floor to look for what had fallen. There was a little black jewelry box lying on its side under her bed. Elena reached out for it, anticipation written all over her face.

When she opened it, she found a pair of silver earrings with tiny silver bobs dangling on each its ends. They were beautiful. Noticing that the window was open, Elena straightened up. It was Damon. He must have left these for her.

Smiling to herself, she put them on. Immediately, a familiar smell of herbs reached her nostrils. Vervain. Elena was surprised once again by Damon's thoughtfulness. And she was in an exceptionally good mood that morning as she took a shower and brushed her hair.

When Elena got to school, the first thing she saw was an angry Caroline. Caroline spotted her at once and raced towards her with abnormal speed, almost making Elena drop her bag.

"Elena, where _were_ you?" Caroline demanded in a frantic voice, "I've been waiting for you for ages! And where's Bonnie?"

"Um…" Elena struggled to find an excuse, "I don't know. Why are all these people here?" She asked, trying to change the topic. It seemed like the school was surrounded by loads of strangers.

"Today's the charity event our school organized - oh, who am I kidding - _I _organized, remember?" Caroline asked with an extra emphasis on "I".

"Oh…yeah…vaguely…"

"And both you and Bonnie agreed to help! Except _you're _late, and Bonnie didn't even bother to show up and - !" Caroline stopped abruptly as Elena tucked her hair behind her ear. "Nice earrings." She commented.

Elena smiled, not really surprised that Caroline would be the first person to notice the earrings.

Caroline reached out a hand to touch it, but the moment she did, blinding pain hit her finger tips and she immediately pulled back, "Ow!" She exclaimed.

Elena watched as Caroline's burnt fingers heal before her eyes. She had forgotten to warn her about the vervain in the earrings, "Are you ok?"

"Fine." Caroline replied grumpily, "Did Stefan give you those?"

Elena could feel herself blush again and willed for it to stop, "Actually…they were from Damon." She admitted.

An incredulous expression came up on Caroline's face at the mention of Damon's name. She bit her lower lip and looked at Elena concernedly, "Elena…I know it's not my place, but…are you sure it's the best idea to be with Damon?"

Elena looked up at once, "There's nothing going on between me and Damon, ok?" She explained a little too hastily.

"Right," Caroline rolled her perfectly lined eyes, "because when a guy gives a girl earrings, it means 'there's nothing going on between us'. I'm not stupid, Elena." She paused, "And you're a terrible liar, by the way."

Before Elena could even speak out another word, Caroline was busy talking again, "Now, you work at the donation booth. Break's at noon. Ciao!"

**Damon.**

Damon watched as Elena looked utterly bored behind the donation booth. Every time someone made a donation, she offered them a cup of hot chocolate and flashed them a huge smile. The smiles made Damon want to go over there right now and kiss her.

Last night would have been perfect if Stefan hadn't called him and showered him with Lucy's disappearance. But now that he thought about it, he was actually glad he got to spend more time alone with Elena. This might be as close as he could get at being in a relationship with her. When Stefan and Bonnie break the spell, she would go back to hopelessly loving Stefan, and he would go back to being the second choice. Damon felt uncertain about what he wanted for Elena. On one hand, it was great to be with her like this, for her to actually develop feelings for him. On the other, whatever she felt for him right now wasn't on her own will; it was all due to the spell.

And the dream she had the night before showed who she really loved, didn't it? Dreams were something on the subconscious level, and subconsciously, Elena had dreamt of being with Stefan, of breaking the spell. It's what she wanted, isn't it?

Damon watched as Elena slump back in her seat and yawn absent-mindedly. He supposed Caroline put her up for this. Unable to stay out of view any longer, he walked up to her from behind the oak tree he was leaning on and gave her his trademark smirk.

"Damon." Elena's eyes lit up involuntarily when she saw him.

Damon could hear her heart already pounding faster. This was a better greeting than the usual "what are you doing here".

But as if she could read his mind, Elena said immediately, "What are you doing here?"

_Typical_. Damon thought, but somehow amusedly. "Giving you the privilege to be in my presence, of course."

"I'm honored." Elena said sarcastically.

"As you should be." Damon bowed him head, feigning modesty. He pulled out his wallet and made a very generous donation, making Elena's eyes bulge slightly.

"That should earn you all the hot chocolates on the table." She said.

Damon smirked dismissively, "I'll pass. I prefer energy drink. Hint, blood."

"Very funny."

"I thought so too." Damon shrugged. "Nice earrings, by the way." He gestured to them. He was glad she was already wearing them.

"Oh…right," Elena smiled self-consciously, "Thanks for them. They're beautiful."

"On you." Damon said at once. It was not until the words left his mouth did he realize he might have crossed some sort of line here, because Elena looked away purposely.

Uncomfortable silence followed this, and Damon cleared his throat to sound less awkward, "So I'll be off. Just wanted to check in on you." He winked, "Didn't want you to be all sulky without me."

Elena fought the urge to roll her eyes. He was so arrogant. But somehow it didn't annoy her like it used to. Right now, his blue eyes looked so piercing and penetrating that she felt like he could see right through her. And that smirk… He was smirking in a way that made her want to wipe it off of his face – with a kiss.

"Ok, stop," Elena said, as if coming out of a trance, "Stop with that…that eye thing."

Damon grinned in a self-satisfactory way before walking off. He was finally having the impact he never thought he could have on her. And whether it was because of the spell or not, he enjoyed it immensely.

**Elena.**

Working for Caroline had always been tiring. Elena was practically dragging her feet when she finally got home. For what it's worth, it was nice that Damon came to see her in the morning. She touched her new earrings fondly as she thought of him. Lately, she hasn't been able to think about anything _but_ him, but she didn't mind. She actually liked it. It's been a long time since she last felt like this. As nice as it was to be with Stefan, they didn't have….whatever she had with Damon. Being with Stefan could only be categorized as "nice".

Elena flopped down on her bed as she thought about Stefan. She hasn't thought about him for a long time. It's only been a few days since he left, but it felt like he wasn't even a part of her life anymore.

At that moment, her cell phone rang, and ironically, it was Stefan.

"Stefan, hey." Elena picked up at once, "How's it going over there?"

"Badly." Stefan sighed, "Lucy is not in the vicinity, and she hasn't come back to her apartment either."

"That's not good." Elena murmured, tucking her legs beneath her as she sat down on her bed.

"No. It isn't." Stefan agreed, "Our only chance of finding her right now is if Bonnie does a Location Spell."

"Well, let me know how it goes." Elena said warily. "And…please be careful."

"We will." Stefan said in a promising voice. The tone of his made Elena think there was something more he wanted to say. And he did indeed. "How is everything with Damon?" Stefan asked haltingly.

"Just fine."

Stefan sighed again, sounding a little frustrated at her concise reply, "Listen, Elena, it's okay if you have feelings for him. It's not your fault. It's the whole purpose of the spell. I understand, okay?"

Even though Stefan tried very hard to sound casual, Elena knew that he wasn't okay with this. He might understand, yes, but he's not okay with it. But she was touched nonetheless at his attempt to accept her situation with Damon.

"Thank you, Stefan." Elena said in a sincere voice.

"Just…" Stefan struggled with the words he was trying to say, "don't do anything you'll regret, Elena. Keep in mind that these feelings aren't real."

The last sentence offended her. Elena could feel anger bubbling inside. She knew Stefan was probably right, but she was irritated all the same by his manner of speaking. _He_ wasn't feeling what _she_ was feeling. How could he _possibly_ know which feeling is real and which isn't?

"They feel real." Elena finally said stiffly.

"Well, they're not. You're under a spell, Elena, remember?"

Elena didn't like the way Stefan was talking to her, as if talking to a child. But deep inside, she knew he was only trying to get her to deal with this whole thing rationally. She didn't want to deny it, but she _does_ have feelings for Damon. Even though that's all because of the spell, her feelings were still her own, and they felt as real as they can be. And it was very weird to discuss these feelings with her current boyfriend, since they didn't even concern him.

"Stefan…" Elena's voice was breaking. She knew she had to do this, and that this would have come sooner or later, "I can't be with you when I have feelings for someone else, _whether they're real or not_. It's…it's not fair to you."

Silence. For a moment, Elena thought he had hung up, but after a long pause, his voice came on again, and he sounded grave, "If that's what you want, I respect your choice. But you should know that no one's blaming you for what you feel towards Damon. Bonnie and I, we're trying our best to get you out of this mess. Please don't take this out on yourself." He paused again, searching for words, "I know you're selfless, Elena, but you're thinking about everyone else except yourself."

Elena didn't know what to say. She lowered her eyes and picked at the bedding. She was glad Stefan was away right now, or else this would have been an even more awkward conversation than it already is.

"I love you." Stefan said frankly.

"I…" Again, Elena choked on the words that she could no longer say.

"You can say it back once we lift the spell." Stefan said in a comforting voice.

"Okay," Elena agreed, even though she was skeptical, "Bye, then."

"Bye, Elena."

There was a tiny click, and then the line went dead. For a long time, Elena simply stared at her cell phone. It was funny how one small phone call changed a lot of things. For starters, she and Stefan were broken up. Until they find a way to break the spell, that is. And Stefan had just instilled information in her head about how her feelings for Damon weren't even real.

Her thoughts got interrupted unexpectedly as Damon suddenly turned up beside her.

"Damon!" Elena said, almost dropping her cell phone, "How…how much did you hear?"

"Enough." He grinned deviously, "Did you just break up with Saint Stefan?"

When Elena said nothing in reply, he continued asking. "And…did I just hear someone confess her undying love for me?" He was smirking even wider now.

"It's not love." Elena said quietly.

"It's close enough."

Elena got up from her place on the bed, indignant at his lack of seriousness, "You're actually enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Well," Damon said lazily, "I tend to look on the bright side of things."

"Damon, you have _no_ idea how confused I am here, okay? I still have feelings for Stefan, but now I'm developing feelings for you too! I _don't want_ to be like Katherine, but I'm falling for my boyfriend's brother! And all you do is mock my break-up and my feelings and…and…" Elena's chest heaved in anger as words failed her. She felt alone and confused and she knew she wasn't being fair to Damon right now because she was taking out all of her anger on him.

Damon lost his cocky manner when he realized she was in no mood for jokes and flirtatious remarks. She was right. He really had no idea she was in so such confusion.

"Elena...I'm sorry…I didn't mean…" Damon watched Elena stare at the ground, fighting back tears, "Will you please look at me?" He asked, taking a tentative step towards her.

Elena wanted to throw herself in his arms, but stopped when she thought about how Stefan had asked her not to do anything she regretted. She was afraid that if she so much as touched him, she would kiss him, and who knows what that would lead to?

Instead, she used all her will power to not do anything, "Please…just leave." She whispered.

"No," Said Damon without a moment's worth of hesitation, "I'm not leaving until you're okay."

"I'm _fine_!" Elena said a little louder than she intended. Damon looked really alarmed now. "Just leave, ok?" She asked in a lower voice.

"I'm not leaving you like this, Elena." Damon said stubbornly.

Elena turned around and grabbed a jacket, "Fine, then. I'll leave." She said as she stumbled towards the stairs.

"Elena…" It only took a second for Damon to block her way.

Right then, Elena was determined to get out of the house. She walked around Damon and made for the door, "Please, Damon, don't come after me."


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks to AzureRoseSky and Barbara SGB, you guys are my motivation.**

**This is the longest chapter yet, please REVIEW!**

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**Chapter 8**

**Elena.**

Elena walked along the road aimlessly, not really knowing where she was going. The wind slashed her face like an icy knife, making her shudder. She hugged herself around the middle and turned up the collar of her jacket. She wished she had thought it through before she stomped out of the house.

Right now, she wished Damon _had_ come after her. Elena was regretting how she had acted more and more with each step she took. It wasn't fair that she exploded at Damon. It wasn't his fault. If it's anyone's, it's _hers_. _She_ was the one who let go when Bonnie warned her not to.

This night was turning out to be way too stressful. She couldn't believeshe actually broke up with Stefan. There was a time when she thought that nothing mattered to her more than being with him. But now _she_ was the person that suggested they end the relationship. This spell was more troublesome than she thought it would be. Would everything go back to normal when Stefan and Bonnie come back? Would she continue her relationship with Stefan then? Or is that over forever?

Elena had been staring at her feet as she wandered around. When she looked up, she realized she was at the end of the woods. The woods never brought her any good memories, so she made for the opposite way. And that's when she heard them. Footsteps.

"Damon?" Elena asked, hoping very much it was him. But no one answered her. She looked around, yet only dark shadows of the trees caused by the moon greeted her. Cautiously, Elena picked up her pace, now wanting very much to be back at home. As soon as she started walking again, the footsteps continued. Elena stopped dead in her tracks, fear running through her as she whipped her head around, trying to catch a glimpse of whoever was following her. It couldn't be a vampire. They were much more discreet than this.

Elena decided to make a run for it, but no sooner than she took a step forward, someone grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. She screamed, but that only came out as a muffled whimper as whoever caught her clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Give me your wallet, lady." He scowled in her ear. His breath smelled like tobacco. "And you won't get hurt."

Slowly, he removed his hand from her mouth, leaving her to gasp in air.

"I don't have it on me." Elena forced in an even voice. Her eyes darted from the mugger's face to her surroundings. The place was desolated. She wondered if she could do any damage to him, but decided against it when she noticed how much bigger the mugger was than her.

"I have a gun." The mugger snarled, and Elena felt something cold and hard push against the side of her ribs. He was so close to her that she could feel his breath on her face.

She told herself to stay calm even though her whole body was shaking. "I told you," She said truthfully, hoping her voice sounded convincing, "I don't have it on me right now."

There was a pause, then the mugger lounged at her, pinning her against the tree forcefully, "Well, I'll search for it myself."

"You're going to have to back away from her."

Elena's eyes shot open at the sound of Damon's voice. In a flash, Damon was between them, standing as a human (I mean, vampire) barrier between Elena and the mugger. His eyes were narrowed dangerously as he shielded Elena behind him.

"Walk away now," He told the mugger, "and maybe I'll let you live."

The mugger, obviously dumbfounded by Damon's sudden appearance, almost fell as he scrambled to back away from him. Swearing, he fired a shot straight at Damon's chest.

Elena screamed behind him, the sound of the gunshot filling her ears.

Damon's face contorted into a look of pain as he glanced down at the wound, "Okay, now you've hurt my feelings." He growled, and in less than a second, had the mugger's head between his hands. He was just about to snap his neck when –

"Damon! Don't!" Elena yelled hurriedly, not wanting Damon to kill anyone because of her.

Damon stopped himself in the middle of the neck-twisting action upon hearing Elena's voice. Hesitantly, he let go of the man, who choked and gasped at his feet. Just when Damon straightened up, the mugger used this opportunity to raise his arm and pull the trigger again.

Damon grunted in pain as another bullet entered him, this time in his stomach. He was getting seriously annoyed with this man as he pulled him up by the collar and slammed him against the nearby tree. The mugger passed out immediately due to the force Damon put into the slam.

As soon as Damon let go of him, he slumped to the floor.

"Damon…" Elena said shakily, "A-Are you ok?"

"Yeah." Damon replied, "My jacket isn't though." He stared at the two holes in his black leather jacket, "Damn…This was my favorite."

Elena watched as Damon examined his jacket carefully. It seemed like every time she needed him, he was there. He was always there to save her, and he always acted like it was no big deal. Unable to control herself any longer, Elena closed the space between them and threw her arms around him, embracing him in a tight hug, "Thank you for coming after me, Damon." She whispered, her voice muffled.

"Elena…" Damon was a little overwhelmed by this, "As much as I appreciate you hugging me, you're pushing the bullets deeper into my skin."

Elena let go of him immediately, "Sorry!"

Damon winced as he slowly pulled both bullets out of his body. He gave it a minute to let the wounds heal. When pain eluded him, he raised his head to grin at Elena, "Okay, one more time." He opened his arms.

Elena laughed as she was pulled into his warm embrace. She breathed in his scent and inhaled deeply, wishing that time would stand still at this moment.

When Damon let go of her, she felt a small twinge of disappointment. It was just so nice to be in his arms that she didn't want to let go. She watched as Damon take off his jacket. She thought he was checking the damage done by the bullets, but instead, he wrapped it around her shoulders and said, "Now, let's get you home, hm?"

"Ok…" Elena smiled up at him, feeling much warmer in his jacket. She caught sight of the unconscious mugger by the tree, his shoulder at an odd angle, "Wait, what about him?"

"He'll live." Damon replied lazily, "He's just out."

"I think you broke his shoulder." Elena said softly.

"Yeah, well, he broke my jacket."

**Damon.**

Damon stayed with Elena until she finished showering and was ready for bed. The night's events had been too much for her to handle, and he was glad he ameliorated at least one of them. This spell was making her go through too much. For a moment, he actually wished for Stefan and Bonnie to break it already.

He had stopped believing in love after Katherine. For decades after decades, he had played women, not offering a single feeling. He thought he would have gone on like this forever – until he met Elena. What is it like to really love someone? Damon thought as he watched Elena brush her hair. It wasn't about being with her anymore, no. It was about wanting her to be happy in every way possible. And if Elena was happy with Stefan, he didn't want to intrude, and he definitely didn't want to ruin her relationship.

"Damon?" Elena asked with her back to him, still brushing her hair.

"Yeah?"

"Nothing. Just checking to see if you were still here."

Damon smirked, "I'm still here."

Elena came out of the bathroom wearing her pajamas to find Damon on her bed again, his ankles crossed and his hands folded in front of his chest. She didn't know what came over her as she slowly walked to him and sat down on the edge of the bed. He looked irresistible to her right now, and she wanted very much to be as close to him as possible.

Damon raised his eyebrow as he heard Elena's heartbeat going faster and faster. She stood up again, looking very awkward at the moment. He got up too, not wanting to deprive her of any more sleep. Neither of them said anything as he pulled on his now ruined jacket.

"Good night, Elena." Damon offered her another smirk and bent down slightly to kiss her forehead.

Elena twitched and raised her head to look at him the same moment he had leaned forward. Their lips met. An electric vibe went through her as she felt his warm lips. It was just how she had imagined it. She could see fireworks, and stars as every sense in her body jerked alive. She never knew she could feel so much emotion just through one kiss. But this…this wasn't just some kiss, this was a kiss with Damon, a kiss so powerful and passionate that her head began to swirl.

Damon's eyes widened with surprise as he got her lips by accident. He wanted to pull away, but his body wasn't his, and it wouldn't listen to him. Her lips were soft, delicious, and when she moved them against his lips, he had to use all his strength not to sway. This was…so different from every other kiss he had experienced. He seemed to come alive under her lips, and his arms slowly moved on their own accord to encircle her waist.

Elena moaned against his lips and deepened the kiss, her hands buried in his messy hair. She had _never_ felt like this before. She could just kiss him forever. She could feel her heart thumping so fast that she wondered if it would break her ribs. Her body was shaking as she felt his tongue wiggle its way into her mouth.

They must have kissed for a century before they broke apart, each of them breathing heavily as they stared into each other's eyes, seeing their own reflections.

Elena's lips parted slightly as she saw the arousal in Damon's eyes. She wanted to tell him she didn't care about anything at that moment, that all she wanted right now was him, but her mouth wouldn't work. Her lips were numb from so much kissing, yet she could still feel them tingling with anticipation.

"Damon…" She whispered, momentarily forgetting how to talk properly as she arched her body into his.

But Damon backed away, his expression unreadable. "Not like this, Elena." He said quietly. "…I'll still be here when Stefan and Bonnie lift the spell."

Every word he spoke seemed to come out in slow motion. Dammit, he wanted to throw her onto the bed right now and kiss her again until she begs for more – but he couldn't. He couldn't when she's only attracted to him only because of a _spell_. It was cruel that while his love for her grew even deeper these days, it was still unrequited. Yes, he'd still be here when the spell was broken, but how would she feel then? His heart throbbed painfully when he thought of how she would fly into Stefan arms when free of this spell.

A step away from him, Elena looked helpless and confused. She wanted to kiss him so much that it hurt her not to. She'd give anything to feel his lips on hers again, but he was acting as if that kiss was a mistake. "Damon, I – "

Damon came forward and took her face in his hands, cutting off whatever she was planning to say. His piercing blue eyes showed so much emotion that his pupils dilated. Taking a deep breath, he caressed her face gently, not wanting to mess up her hair. "I love you." Damon said. The fist time he had said those words to her, he had compelled her to forget them, but this time he wanted her to remember it. His gazed dropped lower to her collarbone. She wasn't wearing the vervain necklace this time either.

Elena was speechless as those three words reached her ears. It was the first time he had ever said them to her, and he had said it so abruptly that she needed a moment to take it in.

"That's why I can't take advantage of you." Damon continued, "And that's why I think you should…forget about that kiss." His eyes searched hers. He didn't want to compel her, but what just happened would only make her more confused than she already was. He'd rather have her not remember the kiss than regret it later on when the spell is lift.

Elena's eyes went blank for a moment, and Damon knew the memory was forgotten. His heart felt abnormally heavy as he went for the window. It was okay, really. Even though all the intimate memories he had with Elena had became his own memories in the end, he was still glad Elena was a part of it. He would treasure those memories forgotten by her.

**Elena.**

Elena touched her bare collarbone. Had Damon just try to compel her to forget about their kiss?

She ran a shaky hand through her hair as she sat down on her bed. He had forgotten that she was still wearing the vervain filled earrings.

**Damon.**

It had been a week since Damon last visited Elena. He knew that she had no recollection whatsoever about the kiss, but he still needed some time to recover from it. Could it be that the spell had the same effect it had on him like it had on Elena? Lately, it was like his feelings for her keep getting stronger. He didn't even know it was possible to love someone as much as he loved Elena right now.

The week he spent without her seemed to pass by in slow motion. He saw her from time to time, but without her knowing about it. He watched her go to school, chatting and talking with Caroline. He watched her at The Grill, hanging out with friends. And he watched her go to sleep every night. Sometimes, he was sure she saw him, because she would stop whatever she was doing and look intently in his direction, but he was always quick to retreat. And even though she smiled a lot, the smiles didn't quite reach her eyes. He wondered if Elena, like Bonnie had said, was getting depressed and moody without seeing him.

Damon poured himself a drink and settled back onto the couch. He loved her, and he wanted her to love him back on her own will. He knew it was too much to ask. She, like Katherine, had chosen his brother. But she was nothing like Katherine, that, he knew. When he first saw her, saw her likenesses with Katherine, he wanted to play her. It was just a game. He wanted to take her away from Stefan, to punish Stefan. But over the times he had gotten to know her, and she wasn't like Katherine at all. She might have looked identical to Katherine, but she was very different in every other way. It wasn't a game anymore because he had fallen in love with her. He had fallen in love with Elena even though he swore he would never love again.

Yet she was with Stefan.

It killed him to see them together. He couldn't help wondering what it would be like if _he_ was the one she desired. But now that she really did seem to like him, really like him, he was having second thoughts. It was because of this stupid spell that she felt like this. He had a hunch that he'd be devastated once the spell is broken. It would be like the Katherine thing all over again, except much more worse, because it's Elena this time.

The doorbell rang at that moment, disturbing his thoughts.

"Excuse me?" Asked someone at the door as whoever it was rang the doorbell again.

Damon got up. For a split second, he had thought that it was Elena, coming to see him after school. But it was clearly a man's voice outside, so he pushed that thought away.

He opened the door lazily, "Yeah?"

It was a delivery boy. And he was carrying a package, "Delivery for Mr.…" He checked his notepad, "Damon Salvatore?"

Damon stared at the box, "I didn't order anything."

The delivery boy grinned toothily, "Well, it's your address. Sign here, please."

Intrigued by this enigmatic package, Damon signed immediately. After closing the door again, he rushed to tear it open. He almost ruined the box due to his eagerness to see what was inside. When he finally ripped open the wrappings, the scent of new leather filled the air.

Damon was speechless as he pulled out a new leather jacket from the debris. It was black, and it was so new that the leather felt a little stiff. It also looked extremely like his old one, with a few changes on the collar and the sleeves. There was also a note inside. Curious, Damon picked it up. It wasn't a letter, like he had thought. There was only one word scribbled on a blank piece of paper, "_Surprise._"

Chuckling lowly to himself, Damon got up. He threw on the jacket and thought he looked even more dashing than usual. No one had ever done something nice for him for a long time. He had been selfish, conceited, and abominable to everyone around him for more than a century, so they loathed him. But now…here was Elena, giving him the best surprise he had ever stumbled upon. He was – what was the feeling? – oh, right, _moved_. He's been without this particular feeling for so long that he couldn't even remember what it was like. But now, it's all rushing back to him.

Damon smirked. He's missed her. It was time to pay a visit.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Damon.**

When Damon arrived at Elena's house, he was disappointed to find it vacated. Her bed was wrinkle-free, indicating that she hasn't touched it since she made it in the morning. Damon turned around to leave, wondering all the while where Elena could be. As he walked around her bed, his elbow nudged the painting on top of it, and one nudge was enough to make her Diary fall out from behind.

For a moment, Damon merely stared at it. He knew what it was, of course. Stefan was sentimental enough to keep one as well, which he thought was most absurd due to the fact that Stefan is a _male_. But here was Elena's journal, and she had probably recorded everything that had happened here and all of her feelings. His fingers almost itched for wanting to read her thoughts, to know what was going on inside her head, but he stopped himself from turning open the bulky pages of the Diary.

This was her privacy. And if he wanted to respect her, the least he could do was to respect her privacy. So, instead of opening the pages like he most certainly would have done in the past, Damon picked up the Diary and put it back behind the artwork. He raised his eyebrows, not believing he had just waived a chance to read it.

Shaking his head, he went for the window again. _Love, it makes you do funny things._ He thought as he grinned to himself.

As soon as Damon reached the Boarding House, he saw Elena's car parked out front. He felt almost giddy as he quickly went inside. So this was where she was. Sure enough, he found Elena sitting on the couch, waiting for him.

"Hey," Said Elena, greeting him as though she came to see him all the time at his house, "Where've you been?"

"Out." Damon replied, not wanting to elaborate how he had just been to _her_ house, "To what do I own this pleasure, Elena?"

"Actually…" Elena's tone was hesitant, nervous, "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"I'm listening." Damon scanned his alcohol collection and debated whether he should drink Whiskey or Scotch. He was intrigued by what she had to say, but pretended otherwise.

"Well…Stefan called me. They're…coming back tomorrow."

Damon momentarily forgot his drink and looked up at Elena. He wondered why this piece of information bothered him so much. Was he secretly hoping for Stefan and Bonnie to fall in love with each other and elope, forgetting all about the spell? He knew what this meant. His brother and the witch had found a way to break this spell.

"Oh. Great." Even though he was very disappointed, he made his voice sound careless, "I've missed him." He added sarcastically, turning back to his drink.

"But that's the thing," Elena said continuously, ignoring Damon's remark, "I don't _want_ them to break the spell anymore."

Damon almost dropped his glass in surprise. Was she actually saying this? That she wanted, _voluntarily,_ to be the victim of a love spell _forever_? And what's more, that particular love spell involved _him_. He searched her face, looking for a sign that indicated she was lying. Or joking, whatever. But he found no such thing. She looked adamant, and she looked very serious.

"Elena…" Damon said, trying to talk some sense into her, "Think about what you just said."

"I've thought it through," Said Elena immediately, "That's all I've been thinking for the past week." _That, and you._ She added silently. "And I've made up my mind."

"Okay, enlighten me," Damon said, puzzled, "Why would you want this?"

"Because…" Elena drew a shaky breath and looked straight into Damon's eyes. They were so blue that they reminded her of the sky. Or the ocean, maybe. Elena never thought she'd one day say this to him, but here she was, at his house, mustering up the courage to say it. A million memories flashed before her eyes as she stared at Damon intently, "Because I love you."

That was not the response Damon was preparing for. He had to try his best not to look too surprised. This was…surreal. This was _Elena_, and she just said…she just said she _loved_ him. It would have been one of those cheesy love movies with a happy ending if he didn't know better.

"Now, that's the spell talking." He said dryly, raising his glass to her and taking a long drink, trying to calm himself. He didn't want to seem overjoyed, and he certainly didn't want to get his hopes up. _Be still, my un-beating heart._ He thought to himself.

"No." Elena said stubbornly, "This is_ me_ talking, and I'm saying I love you. I don't care how I came to love you, and I don't care why, either. All I know is –"

"But I care." Damon interrupted, setting his glass down, "I love you…Elena. And I want you, someday, to return that love…but not by a spell."

Elena stared at him, lost for words. She thought he would be elated, ecstatic, or at least delighted, but all the expressions on his face showed only seriousness. She thought he would take her in his arms and kiss her, but his reaction was something she hadn't foreseen.

"I want to be with you." Elena said softly.

"Elena –" Damon couldn't even finish his sentence as his cell phone rang. Fuming and swearing, he took it out of his pocket. _Stefan_. Perfect. Little bro's always had good timing.

"Not a good time, Stefan." Damon said, irritated, "I'm not in the mood for a heart-to-heart."

"Bonnie and I are on our way back," Stefan said hurriedly, ignoring him. "We should be there by this time tomorrow." He was speaking rapidly, like he couldn't wait to get those words out.

"So I've heard."

"You need to go to the tomb, Damon." Stefan pressed on in an urgent voice.

"And see Katherine?" Damon asked in disbelief, "I prefer a stake, thanks." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Elena go tense and cursed himself for his insensitivity.

From behind him, Elena peered at him cautiously. She had just heard Katherine's name, and she got a very bad feeling about this. She wanted to continue the conversation, to see how it turns out, and she didn't want Katherine to ruin it for her

"Tell you what, why don't _you_ go to the tomb when you get back?" She heard Damon say, annoyed.

A pause.

"Fine, but you tell the little witch she'd better not make my head explode again after I do this."

Damon hung up before Stefan could burden him with more misfortunes and turned to Elena, who looked very white. As much as he wanted to hear her say she loved him over and over again, he was a little relieved that he didn't have time to deal with the situation just yet.

"So…I gotta run an errand for my dear brother." He said, shrugging, "You stay here, okay?"

"Damon, I just _heard_ you. I'm going with you." Elena took a step forward.

"Not a good idea." Damon said resolutely as he pulled on his new jacket – the gift from Elena. He admired his reflection on the glass and turned up the collar.

Elena's heart leapt when she realized that he was already wearing the jacket, and he looked really good in it too, just like she'd imagined. She told herself to focus on the situation before her instead of staring at Damon. "At least tell me what's going on." Elena said.

"Lucy is in Mystic Falls." He said carelessly, "Bonnie's little spell worked and Lucy is apparently here."

Elena's brows knitted together as she thought over what he had just said, "But what does that have to do with Katherine?" She gave an involuntary shudder when she said her name.

"Stefan thinks Katherine's abducted Lucy."

"Down in the tomb?"

"That's right."

"But…How can Katherine abduct Lucy when she can't even get out of the tomb?"

Damon rolled his eyes at Elena's naivety, "Katherine didn't need to do anything, Elena. Others do it for her."

"You mean she has friends?" Elena asked, unable to suppress her surprise at this. In her mind, Katherine was selfish and harsh. And normally, those kinds of people don't have many friends.

"Katherine doesn't have _friends_." Damon laughed dryly, "She has people who owe her, people who are afraid of her, people she threatens and blackmails, and, of course, people who are stupid enough to let her use them." He said the last sentence so bitterly that Elena couldn't help reading a little more into it.

"Were you and Stefan one of them?" Elena shot him a furtive glance and kept her voice nonchalant.

When Damon pursed his lips and said nothing, Elena understood. She felt a little uncomfortable that Damon knew Katherine so well. It takes time to understand someone, didn't it? And as evil as Katherine was, she had won over Damon's heart in the past. He knew her, knew her patterns, knew her personality, and knew everything about her. He's loved her for 145 years. What make him so sure that he's stopped? It took Elena a while to realize that the uncomforted feeling was jealousy.

"You coming?" Damon asked at the door, watching Elena space out again.

Elena's eyes shot up. "I thought I had to stay here?"

"Says Saint Stefan." Damon rolled his eyes, "I changed my mind. I'm not leaving you alone. You're coming with me."

**Elena.**

Elena's breath quickened as she followed Damon down to the muddy ground. He had his hand on her arm the whole time, afraid that she'd slip or fall or something. She didn't think she was stupid enough to just run into the tomb, but apparently Damon thought otherwise. He looked dead serious as he led her to the opening of the tomb, keeping her firmly behind him.

"Kaaaaaatherine." Damon called mockingly, his voice echoing off the walls.

For a moment, nothing happened, and Elena thought Katherine wouldn't show. But soon, footsteps sounded and Katherine made her way to them, a knowing smile on her face. She looked better than Elena had remembered. Not as weak as she thought she'd be. Instead, Katherine even looked…perky.

"Oooh, company." Katherine smiled menacingly, "Do come in." She gestured behind her, looking very much like a hostess.

Damon moved until he blocked Elena from view, "Any chance Lucy's in there with you?" He asked, attempting to see behind Katherine.

Katherine's smile stretched wider, but she didn't deny anything, "I bet it was Stefan who told you to come. He was always so _nosy_. Asking about everything…Always having to know everything…I didn't have that problem with you, Damon. You remember." Her tone was flirtatious.

Behind Damon, Elena frowned uncomfortably. There it was again. They were speaking as if they knew each other inside out. And now that she thought about it, they probably _did_. They've known each other way longer than Elena's known Damon. It bothered her that Katherine spoke to him that way. Was she being protective?

"Sorry, not feeling the nostalgia." Damon shrugged, "You know, I can smell the blood on you. Been feeding? On Lucy, I bet?"

Katherine tilted her head to the side and said nothing, still giving them that smile that made the hairs on the back of Elena's neck stand up. It was weird that someone looked exactly like her could smile in a way she could never imagine herself smiling.

"Lucy?" Damon asked loudly. No one answered him, but he turned to Elena almost immediately, "There's someone in there alright."

"I didn't hear anything."

"I have better hearing." Damon said, "So, Katherine, why don't you be a dear and bring Lucy over, hm?"

Katherine licked her lower lip hungrily, "You mean give over my snack? I don't feel like it now. But maybe you should try again later. You know, when she's dead." She laughed unpleasantly and turned away, walking back to the darkness, "Come back soon." She called over her shoulder tauntingly, leaving Damon and Elena to stare after her.

**Damon.**

Damon brought Elena home immediately after that encounter with Katherine. He was suddenly scrupulous about her safety. He knew Katherine had Lucy there for a reason, and he had a pretty good idea what it was – she wanted to be freed of the tomb.

But he had no idea how Lucy could possibly help Katherine while she's trapped down there. Until he knew more, he didn't dare do anything rash and provoke Katherine into killing Lucy. He didn't really care whether that woman lived or not, but it would matter to Elena, and that would matter to him.

Elena was too kind. Damon thought as he closed Elena's bedroom door behind him. One day, she would get hurt because of her softness. But that would be okay, because he would be there to protect her.

"Damon?" Elena asked, climbing into bed. She wanted very much to resume the conversation they were having before Stefan had interrupted. But she knew this wasn't the time to bring it up. It was like a million burdens were placed before her, and she couldn't get to Damon no matter how hard she tried.

"Hm?"

"Will you stay?" Her voice was soft, light, almost melting into the air around her, but he heard her nonetheless.

"Well…" Damon raised his eyebrows, trying his best to look unwilling, when really all he wanted to do was jump into bed next to her, "I guess so. Since you insisted." He shrugged.

Elena smiled. When did his arrogance get so cute anyway? She was still smiling when he climbed into bed next to her and turned off the lamp. She never thought Damon was someone who liked to cuddle, but she nudged closer to him anyway. It was so dark that she could barely see the outlines of his face, but she could feel his breath, and, taking a chance, she leaned closer and kissed him. Just a tiny peck on his lips, but she could feel him freeze altogether.

"Maybe you'll let me remember this one." She whispered.

"I – yeah – wait a minute, how'd you know I made you forget?" Damon demanded.

"Good night, Damon."

**Sorry I didn't update for a while! College Applications are driving me CRAZY! I never knew it was THIS complicated to apply for Universities in America. In China, all we have to do is take a test. (Which is FAR more boring, trust me.)**

**Anyway, thanks to smithsbabe65 for the reviews. They were FANTASTIC! I think it's worth writing a million chapters just to receive your reviews! :P**

**And james-61234 (my brother), I miss you too, but hopefully we'll be in the same state next year. ;)**

**Thank you to everyone who read this story! Please REVIEW! :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Elena**

Elena inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of Damon. Eyes close, she smiled; she liked waking up to him. One of his hands was placed lightly on her waist over the covers, the other behind his head. Even sleeping, he seemed very protective of her.

Elena didn't get to bask in the sunlight long. A deliberate cough from the corner of her room sounded, causing her eyes to shoot open. She sat up, clutching her blankets tightly to her chest.

"Elena." Said Stefan quietly.

Elena stared at him, startled. How long has he been here, watching her sleep? Her heart sank when she realized that Damon was still asleep in her bed next to her. This was the _last_ scene she wanted Stefan to witness.

"S-Stefan," She stammered, trying to keep her posture but failing to do so.

Beside her, Damon stirred, and both Elena and Stefan turned to look at him. He opened his eyes lazily, taking in the sight of Stefan at the foot of the bed.

"Hey." He smirked at Stefan, who looked ready to kill. "Miss me?"

Stefan's lips tightened into a thin line. He had driven through the night, hoping to see Elena as soon as possible. He thought she'd be pleasantly surprised, but never had he thought he'd find Damon in her bed. It was like his worst nightmare come true. Though he can't say he was surprised that Damon took advantage of Elena while the spell was still bounded.

"Good trip?" Damon smirked wider, looking very comfortable in Elena's bed. He was enjoying watching Stefan's face get darker and darker. He loved that he got on Stefan's nerves. Even though nothing happened the night before, he was glad he made Stefan doubtful.

"Elena." Stefan replied, ignoring Damon and turning directly to her, "Can I talk to you?" His gaze shifted over to Damon, who was still smirking at him, "Alone?" He added, trying his best to keep his voice under control.

"I – yes. Sure." Elena murmured, flinging her legs over the side of her bed. She shot Damon a warning glance, hoping he won't do any more damage than he already did. Unlike Damon, she didn't find taunting Stefan amusing.

Stefan put one hand on her back, guiding her through the door, determined to not look at Damon. He said nothing to her as they went down the stairs. And said nothing when they reached the living room. Elena was getting more and more nervous at the expression on Stefan's face. She had never seen him so angry. And it was a kind of quiet anger, which she can't read, and which she definitely didn't like.

Stefan sat down on the couch, pulling Elena down next to him, the corner of his mouth twitching horribly.

"Elena, I _told_ you not to do anything you'd regret while under this spell." He said though gritted teeth.

He was doubting her. After all they've been through and all they've encountered, he was doubting her. And it was hurtful.

"Stefan." Elena stated clearly, "Nothing happened."

Stefan let out a sigh of frustration and turned away from her, "Elena, I just _saw_ you. I came straight to your house to see you today, and find you in bed with my brother. How do you think that makes me feel?"

"I know it looks bad," Elena explained quickly, "But _nothing happened_, Stefan. We had just gotten back from Katherine's and I was –"

"He took you to the tomb?" Stefan cut her off, his voice dangerously low as he got up from the couch, "He took you to the tomb when I _specifically_ asked him not to?" He demanded.

"No – it wasn't like that!" Elena replied hastily, "He took me because he didn't want to leave me alone in the house."

"Elena, don't you see? He's _playing_ you. This is what he does. You don't know him, ok? But I do. I've seen him do this before, and I'm seeing it again now. He's making you believe that everything he's done was for your own good, when really, everything just points in his favor." Stefan's voice was serious, "And now he's taking advantage of you while you're under the spell. Elena, you're going to regret it very much once we lift this spell and you realize what you have done."

"I didn't _do_ anything." Elena stood up too. And even though she was half a head shorter than Stefan, she liked to be on eye-level with him when they're having such a heated discussion, "Don't you trust me?" She asked, suddenly having the feeling of meeting someone for the first time as she looked at Stefan, his chest heaving.

"I trust you," Stefan replied curtly, "It's Damon I don't trust. The Damon I know would _not _pass on a chance of sleeping with you."

Elena winced. She had known all along that Stefan was implying that he thought she had slept with Damon, but to hear him just say it out like that made her cringe. It sounded so harsh. So crude.

"All Damon did was stay over. Because I asked him to." Elena said truthfully, defending him.

Stefan remained silent and stared at her, his anger fading away. Now he looked remorseful.

"I shouldn't have left." He said quietly, shaking his head, "I shouldn't have. I wasn't here when you needed me most. And that led to…this."

Elena looked at him in disbelief. He was blaming himself for something that never happened.

"I'm sorry." Stefan sighed, sitting back down and resting his hands on his knees, "Sorry I yelled. And…sorry I still haven't broken the spell. When I do, you'll be ok again. And we can put everything that happened behind us. It's not your fault anyway."

At that moment, Damon made his way down the stairs, his hair sexily ruffled due to the fact that he had just climbed out of bed. His shirt was wrinkled, and he deliberately missed a few buttons on the top of it. He looked satisfied with himself as he flopped down on the couch beside Stefan, his trademark smirk never fading.

"Catching up, are we?" He asked.

Stefan stood up abruptly, his mouth in a thin line again, "We're going to the tomb. Right now. I'll deal with you later." He directed the last bit at Damon.

"Can't wait." Damon gave him a wink.

**Katherine**

Satisfied, Katherine wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and let go of Lucy, who immediately slipped to the floor, whimpering in pain. Well, that was what Lucy deserved for meddling with _her_ business. She should have never pissed her off.

Pulling her up by the hair, Katherine made Lucy look into her eyes. Now that she was full, she had the power to compel Lucy.

"They're going to be here soon. Your little Bennet friend too. When you get out of here, you go straight to Bonnie's house. Do you understand?" She snarled.

"I understand." Lucy murmured blankly, her eyes unfocused.

"I'll stall them for as long as I can. While they're occupied here, you'll search for the Grimoire. Once you get it, _come straight back_. And you will get me out of this tomb. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

"Good." Katherine smiled at her, "Now repeat to me what you're going to do."

"I'm going to leave right now and hide in the woods. When I see them coming, I will go to Bonnie's house and get the Grimoire. Then I will come back and free you." Lucy replied in the same toneless voice.

Katherine nodded slowly, pleased with the reaction. She was getting out of here. _Finally._

**Damon.**

He'd be lying if he said that the sight of Stefan so uncomfortable didn't appeal to him. He could hardly suppress his smirk. And he didn't. Elena was anxious as hell at the fact that Stefan was so silent, but him? He enjoyed it.

They picked up Bonnie on the way, and the scene of the four of them sitting in the same car looked comical. Nobody said anything on their way to the cemetery, and Bonnie was smart enough to realize that something was going on with the three of them but remain silent all the same.

When they finally arrived at the tomb – all four of them – they came face to face with Katherine, who had her arms crossed over her chest. She looked very haughty, as if she'd been waiting for them to come.

"Finally." Katherine rolled her eyes, "I thought you'd _never _show." She said, talking to Stefan more than the rest of them.

"Where's Lucy?" Asked Stefan.

"She's here." Katherine shrugged, picking at the dirt on the rocky walls, "I see you brought the Bennet witch. Good. I know she wasn't strong enough to free me last time. But with Lucy's help, I'm thinking they can manage to get little old me out of here."

"You're trading Lucy for your freedom?" Damon asked, smirking all the while, "It's getting a little old, don't you think?"

Katherine's gaze shifted over to his face. "Take it or leave it." She shrugged again, turning away to leave.

"Wait!" Stefan called behind her.

Katherine glanced over her shoulder, waiting for a response.

"Hand over Lucy first." Stefan said.

"I thought you were smarter than that, Stefan. I'm not offering you a negotiation. Get me out of here, or get the body of dear Lucy."

Before Stefan could open his mouth, Bonnie stepped forward, coming face to face with Katherine, "If I were to get you out –"

"Bonnie!" Elena gasped.

"– I'd need to channel with Lucy." Bonnie continued. Elena realized her plan and shut her mouth hastily.

"What is that? Hand-holding?" Katherine raised her eyebrows.

"Something like that." Even though she was offended, Bonnie made her voice sound dispassionate.

"You can hold her hand in here." Katherine jerked her head behind her, smiling at them.

"Bring her over." Bonnie said clearly, her anger rising.

"Watch your tone." Katherine threatened, "You know very well I can drain her if I want to."

Bonnie clamped her mouth shut, but only for a second, "Well, I can't do anything if I don't channel with Lucy." She said stubbornly.

"Then," Katherine said in a singsong voice, "We have a problem. Because I'm not handing Lucy over. And if you don't get me out soon, she'll starve or bleed to death back there."

No one said anything at that. The situation was bad, and nothing they did – besides agreeing to Katherine's terms – would make this better.

"I'd think fast if I were you." Katherine said, "It's been days and she hasn't eaten a _thing_." And with that, she flashed them a big smile and walked away from them.

For a while, all four of them were speechless.

"Well," Damon finally said into the deafening silence, "That went well."

**Elena**

Stefan had barely said two words to her since their conversation in the morning. She wished she could say it didn't bother her, but it did. It bothered her that he didn't trust her, no matter what he said. He was determined to see the worst side of Damon, and he was determined to believe that they had slept together the night before.

Elena frowned as she made her way to her room. She hated not talking to Stefan. Even though they weren't together anymore, it didn't mean they couldn't be friends. And who knows what would happen when the spell is broken? But that seems like the last of anyone's worries right now, given the current circumstances with Lucy.

She was glad no one had mentioned any way of breaking the spell yet. She still stood by what she said to Damon back at the Boarding House. She _wanted_ to feel this way about him. To say the truth, the spell did more good than bad. It brought her closer to Damon, to see a side of him she's never seen before, and she was thankful for that.

Elena sighed when she put herself in Damon's shoes. She understood. No one wants to be loved because of a _spell_. It wasn't fair to him. She knew that.

As she pushed open her bedroom door, she found Damon standing by her window, leaning against her dresser.

"Hey." She said, not surprised anymore at his sudden appearance since he did it all the time. "Why aren't you at the Boarding House?"

"Stefan looked murderous." Damon explained, "And I may have added fuel to the flames, if you know what I mean."

"May have?" Elena raised her eyebrows as she nudged Damon out of the way and reached for the top drawer of her dresser.

"Okay, fine, I _definitely_ added fuel to the flames." Damon admitted with a smirk.

Elena shook her head disbelievingly, but she was smiling all the same, "Yeah, that sounds like you." She said as she pulled out her pajamas.

Damon said nothing, and for a few minutes, they simply stared at each other.

"So about what you said yesterday –"

"Um, remember what I said before –?"

They said at the same time, cutting each other off. Elena smiled at him. So he _has_ been thinking about what she said to him at the Boarding House.

"You go." Damon pointed his chin at her, grinning.

"Well…" Elena chose her words carefully, "Remember when I said that I didn't want Stefan and Bonnie to break the spell anymore?"

Damon nodded, wondering where this was going.

"I was talking irrationally." Elena continued. Damon had been right before. It wasn't the same that she loved him back by a spell. Even though she loved him so much, more than she imagined she could love anyone, it still wasn't real to him. It might feel real to her, but it wasn't what Damon wanted, and he certainly deserved more.

Damon stared at Elena. Like he had predicted, she had taken back what she said. At least she didn't take back the "I love you" part. "I had a feeling you'd say that." He said, unable to hide his disappointment.

Elena tore herself away from his penetrating eyes. She wanted to kiss him very much that she was forcing herself not to. This was not the time, not the moment. Lucy's life is at stake, and all she wants is to kiss Damon? Talk about inappropriate.

Her cell phone rang suddenly, making her jump. She hoped with all her heart it wasn't Stefan. Things were so awkward between them now that she didn't want to talk to him at the moment. She sighed in relief when she saw it was Bonnie calling.

"Bonnie, hey. What's going on?" Elena asked, her eyes involuntarily shooting towards Damon. What was wrong with her? Now she can't take her eyes off of him?

"Elena! It's not here! It's gone!" Bonnie cried at the other end, her voice frantic.

"What? What's gone? What are you talking about?" Elena asked back urgently. She could hear the shuffling of paper and flustered footsteps.

"Someone broke into my house! Everything is messed up!" Bonnie hiccupped, "They went through my stuff!"

"Oh my God. Bonnie, are you ok?" Elena clutched the phone closer to her ear.

"The Grimoire! It's _gone_!"

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**Hey! I updated! :) (Quick, right?)**

**Many thanks to BadBoysAreBest, Perfect Pirate Captain, Barbara SGB, Oceanmina 101, jpav333, mmchamp12, AzureRoseSky, LoveEpicLove, Crimson-kiss17 and OF COURSE smithsbabe65!**

**It's pretty late here so I'll be going to bed now. Hope I can see some reviews when I wake up. :P**

**P.S. James(Like Stefan is Damon's baby bro, you are mine)-Please don't make me do your homework again. Or else I'll make you read this story.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Elena**

Elena pulled on her jacket, almost knocking over the lamp and whipping Damon across the face. Her hair got caught in the zipper but she didn't care. Mentioning for Damon to follow her, she flung open her bedroom door – and crashed right into Jeremy.

"Hey. What's going on?" Jeremy asked curiously, rubbing his collar bone where Elena had just knocked into, "What's with all the racket?"

"It's Bonnie – we have to go, Jer." Elena said quickly. She tried to go down the stairs but was stopped by Jeremy, who had his hand on her forearm.

"It's Bonnie?" He repeated, "Is she ok? What happened?"

"Someone broke into her house and now she's freaking out." Damon said insensitively.

Jeremy shot him a look of disbelief and started to follow Elena down the stairs. He decided to not ask what Damon was doing here. He had a feeling he wouldn't like the answer anyway.

"No, Jeremy, I don't want you to get involved." Elena said, realizing that Jeremy had the intention to go with them.

"Well, I am." Jeremy replied shortly, "It's Bonnie." And he reached the door before either of them and walked out into the night.

Elena sighed and followed his tracks. She'd always known that something was going on with her best friend and her brother, but it felt a little weird to really witness it.

"You Gilberts," Damon rolled his eyes, "are _so_ stubborn."

**Bonnie**

When they got to Bonnie's house, she was having a panic attack. The Grimoire was something her grandmother had left her, and now it's stolen. Lately, it just seemed like everything she's doing is wrong.

This whole mess started with her. _She_ was the one who messed up the anti-love spell and got her best friend to fall in love with a vampire she detested. _She _was the one who couldn't figure out how to make this right again. And now _she_ was the one causing so much trouble, gathering everyone at her house to look for a spell book.

She knew Elena didn't blame her for anything, but she couldn't help blaming herself. What if she had gotten everything done right in the beginning? Damon would be out of town, never to bother them again, and Elena and Stefan would still be happily together.

Bonnie choked back a sob. The Grimoire was _everything_ to her. Without it, she was powerless and weak. It was the only thing Grams left her. What would Grams think if she were here to find out that Bonnie had lost it?

"Bonnie?" Elena asked, coming to her side and taking her hand.

Bonnie shook her head and swallowed. Now was not the time to loose control. She's got to get it together. "I'm fine." She said in a steady voice.

"This is no coincidence," Stefan said, a frown creeping up his face.

"No, it isn't," Damon agreed, but he sounded less serious, "You house was ransacked when we were all down there with Katherine. What does that tell you?"

"That Katherine had something to do with it?" Bonnie whispered, her eyes widening as she realized the truth. Everything made sense to her now. They couldn't find Lucy in her apartment because Katherine was keeping her down in the tomb. And when they went down to try to save Lucy; Katherine stalled them while Lucy came to steal the Grimoire. Katherine must have compelled Lucy into doing this.

Katherine knew that Bonnie wasn't strong enough to perform the spell, but Lucy might be. Everything added up perfectly. As much as Bonnie hated to admit, Katherine was _brilliant_. But her plan wasn't infallible.

"We need to go the tomb right now." Bonnie said.

"I second that." Damon replied.

Bonnie was the first one out the door. The spell that she and Grams once did to seal the tomb took all the life out of Grams. Even though all the "tomb vampires" got out, she had managed to keep Katherine in there. And she was _not_ going to let her get out, no matter what it takes. She'd re-seal the tomb if it killed her. It didn't matter anymore. Grams will _not_ die for nothing.

Bonnie kept her calm all the way down to the tomb. She knew it would be most unfortunate if she had a mental breakdown right now, so she didn't.

When she arrived at the tomb, the sight of Lucy clutching the Grimoire and chanting in Latin affected her more than possible. Ignoring the many yells behind her, Bonnie went straight for Lucy.

"_Hurry_!" Katherine screamed at Lucy, pushing against the invisible barrier blocking her freedom. They had come sooner than she had hoped.

Lucy seemed to have no control over herself anymore as she continued chanting in the same monotonous voice. She had a horrible nosebleed. So horrible that the blood had already reached across her lips and is dripping down her chin.

"No!" Bonnie shouted at her, but she didn't seem to hear anything. If she continued, she'd die, but of course Katherine didn't care about that. Bonnie tried to grab the Grimoire away from Lucy, but she had a death grip on the book and would not let go. Stefan and Damon came forward quickly and pried Lucy's fingers off the Grimoire, but she was still chanting as if she had already recited the whole thing.

"Chant _faster_!" Katherine yelled, her hair falling all over her face. She was _this_ close to getting out of here, and the witch and her doppelganger and can _not_ ruin it for her.

Then Jeremy did something very stupid but very effective. He leapt at Lucy, knocking her to the ground. Her head hit the earth and she was out immediately. The chants stopped.

For a minute, no one said anything, and all that could be heard was heavy breathing.

Then Katherine let out a shriek of frustration behind them. She looked like a teenager throwing a tantrum. Her plan had failed yet again, thanks to them. Gritting her teeth, Katherine pushed the barrier again. There was no getting out of here. The tomb was still sealed.

Damon took a deep breath and looked at the fuming Katherine. He enjoyed seeing her so desperate.

"So, we'll be going then." He said, starting to grin, "Thanks for Lucy." He nodded at Katherine, who looked like she wanted to tear him apart.

Jeremy got up from the ground and dusted dirt from the knees of his pants. He bent down and retrieved the Grimoire, and handed it to Bonnie, "Here."

"Thanks." Bonnie said gratefully and hugged it tightly to her chest, "Is Lucy okay?"

"She will be." Stefan assured her, "Just unconscious for now."

"Come on," Elena put an arm around her, "Let's go."

**Elena**

It was hard to believe that all the action was finally over. Lucy had been staying with Bonnie until she's well enough to leave, and so far, nothing that involved Katherine happened. Elena was relieved that Katherine's plan to escape had failed. But now that she didn't have anything else to worry about, her thoughts led back to the spell, which she is still under.

Lately, everything had been so hectic that she hasn't had time to go over her thoughts yet, but now that she's thinking about it, she was hesitant once more. She was hoping that the spell would be unbreakable. Was that selfish of her?

Just then, her cell phone buzzed, indicating she had a text message. Elena took it out immediately:

_From: Bonnie_

_Figured it out. Meet me at the Boarding House._

Elena stared at the text for a few minutes. _Figured it out._ So Bonnie and Lucy had figured out how to break the spell.

Instead of feeling relieved, she felt disappointed. She could literally feel her heart sink as her shoulders sagged. So this was it, then. In a few hours, this would all be over. Her feelings for Damon, her love for him, it'll all be gone. Elena wanted to climb under the covers and never come out. When the spell was first casted, she couldn't wait for it to be broken; but now that it will be, she's not so sure anymore.

She loved him. She really did. No matter how much she tried to fight against it these weeks, it still happened. There was no hindering these feelings. They were as clear as crystal. She loved him, and she had no intention to take away that love.

Elena pulled on her sweater slowly, trying to procrastinate. She didn't want to go to the Boarding House. But she knew she must. What's going to happen when this blows over? Would Stefan be expecting to get back together? Does she even want that?

With a million questions buzzing around in her head, Elena climbed into her car and started the engine. Why was she so unsure about this? She drove slowly; so slowly that other drivers honked her countless times. But no matter how much she wished her car would break down, she still arrived at the Boarding House.

Feeling numb, Elena slammed her car door shut and walked to the porch. She wondered how Damon was feeling. He must be even more disappointed than she was. The days they spent together had meant a lot to her, but now that she thought about it, everything that happened between them was the aftermath of a spell that went wrong. Things are going to get so complicated and awkward once the spell is lifted.

Elena was dreading this more and more by the second. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open. Everyone was already there, waiting for her. No one spoke as she flashed them a forced smile and went into the living room, where Damon and Bonnie were seated.

"Are you ok?" Bonnie asked immediately, seeing the expression on Elena's face.

"Yeah. Fine." Elena lied. She stole a glance at Damon. He was drowning himself in his drinks, but otherwise, he looked just like he did any other day. It didn't surprise her. He knows how to hide emotions way better than she did.

"Elena…" Bonnie said seriously, "I'm sorry I put you through this. I – I didn't know how to break the spell, but it was really quite simple; Lucy showed me."

Elena continued to stare at Bonnie, waiting for her to go on. Stefan was standing close to them, and Damon still looked like he had nothing to do with this whole thing, but both of them were listening intently.

"Remember when I said the spell is only effective as long as it still has its targets?" Bonnie continued when no one spoke, "I thought you guys –" she mentioned to Elena and Damon, "– were the targets. Well, Lucy pointed out that since I used your hairs to perform the spell, the hairs are actually what the spell aimed for. In other words, all we have to do is destroy the objectives, which, in this case, is the hair, and the spell will be broken"

Elena's eyes widened. That was it? All they had to do was destroy the hairs? That's _it_? It's _this_ easy?

Seeing the expression on Elena's face, Bonnie quickly took out another candle and set it on the table, "But Lucy told me it's better if you do this yourselves. It should work."

The candle, at Bonnie's stare, lit up on its own again. If it were another occasion, Elena would have found it funny that both she and Damon had to hold a hair around a candle. But somehow, it didn't seem amusing in this case.

Running her fingers through her hair, Elena caught one and brought it to the flames. She could see Damon on her right, his expression unreadable. It was hard to believe that in just a few seconds, the spell would be broken, and her feelings for Damon…well, they would be gone too.

Elena bit her lower lip. Her hand seemed to freeze in mid-air. What was the matter with her? She can't move her arm. Her body was screaming in protest, not wanting her to end the spell. But she _must_. She _had to_.

"Elena?" Stefan asked, his voice concerned. Elena had remained in the same position for a while now, with no intention of burning the hair held in her delicate hand.

Elena snapped out of it upon hearing Stefan's voice. Everyone was staring at her now. She told herself it'll be okay as she lowered her hand. As the tip of the hair touched the flame, she felt like something died in her.

The hair sizzled, and the smell of burnt hair suddenly filled the room. It was over. Feeling empty, Elena backed away from the candle and waited for Damon's turn.

Damon was less hesitant than her. He merely put his hair on top of the flame. Elena heard the familiar sizzling sound again and knew that the spell was finally broken. Yet now it seemed like nothing could fill the emptiness inside her now. She felt…hollow.

Bonnie gazed at the pair of them nervously, "So…do you feel anything different?" She asked, her voice hopeful.

Elena raised her head to stare at Damon. He was still gorgeous. His hair was falling into his eyes in an amazingly sexy way, and he was still wearing the jacket she had given him. She averted her gaze when she realized she was still wearing the earrings _he_ had given _her_. Did she feel anything different? Did she want to jump into Stefan's arms?

Shock exploded through her when she realized that she _didn't_. She didn't feel different _at all_. She still wanted to kiss Damon right there, in front of Bonnie and Stefan. This wasn't natural. The spell was already broken. She shouldn't be feeling this way anymore.

"Elena?" Bonnie asked, "It worked, didn't it?"

"I – yeah. Yeah, it did." Elena replied quickly, dropping her gaze and hoping no one could see she was lying. Was there something wrong with her? How could she still love Damon? She loved Damon because of the spell, didn't she? But the spell's over now. So why does she still want to throw herself at Damon?

Damon felt like someone had reached an icy hand down his throat and grabbed his heart, squeezing it in a death grip. It was painful to hear Elena say that it had worked. Well, it was what he had predicted anyway. Can't say he was surprised. He wondered what she was feeling now. Was her love for Stefan expanding or something like that?

"You're…you're _sure_ that was supposed to break the spell?" Elena asked Bonnie.

"I'm sure. A hundred percent." Bonnie said determinedly, "Why do you ask? Did…did something go wrong?"

"No." Elena answered a little too quickly. God, she was a terrible liar. Bonnie looked suspicious now, "It's just…easier than I thought it would be." Elena explained in what she hoped to be a reasonable voice.

Stefan came forward and pulled Elena into a hug, "I think you should go home now. Get a good night's sleep."

"Okay." Elena agreed.

Damon said nothing as he watched Bonnie and Elena go to the front door and piled in Elena's car. He heard Stefan offer to drive them, and heard Elena refuse politely. Another minute later, they had pulled out of the driveway and vanished from his sight.

He knew he shouldn't feel devastated. But he did. He hasn't felt this bad in a long time. Trying to hide his feelings, Damon faked a smirk as soon as Stefan walked back into the door.

He started to walk out, but didn't even make it to the porch before Stefan pulled him back.

"Where're you going?" Stefan asked.

Damon rolled his eyes, "To The Grill, _mom_." He jerked his arm from Stefan's grasp, "I'll see you."

He walked a few steps before he paused again. Now that the spell was broken, Stefan and Elena would probably get back together. And he wasn't going to stand in their way or make it harder for them.

"About the night I stayed over at her house," Damon said with his back to Stefan, "Nothing happened between us."

Stefan mouth opened slightly in surprise. He had been _sure_ that Damon slept with her, but to hear him explain it so seriously to him, he knew that he'd made a mistake. Well, he owed Elena an apology for that.

"Damon," Stefan called, making Damon stop in his tracks again, "Thank you...for not taking advantage of her."

Damon stood there with his back to Stefan for a long time. He was glad Stefan couldn't see his face right now.

"I didn't do it for you." He said quietly.

**Elena**

Elena couldn't even explain it to herself why she had lied back there. All she knew at the moment was she was trying her best to act like nothing's happened and that she was fine now, but she _wasn't_. She wasn't supposed to feel like this anymore, so what the hell happened?

Again, she went over the events in her head. Bonnie's anti-love spell backfired and she fell in love with Damon. But now Bonnie's lifted the spell, and she'd _still_ in love with Damon. What was that about?

Maybe this was a gradual thing. Yeah. That'd be it. Elena consoled herself. Maybe she needed time. When the spell was casted, it took her weeks to fall in love with Damon. Maybe, now, it's going to take her weeks to fall out of love with him. Yes. That made sense.

Feeling a little calmed down now, Elena stopped pacing around the room. Right now, all she needed to focus on doing is to act as normal as possible.

Elena picked up her cell phone and dialed Caroline's number.

"Elena!" Caroline answered on the first ring, "I was starting to think you disappeared!"

"Um, I was wondering whether you want to hang out tonight?" Elena asked, her voice unsure.

"Wanna go to The Grill?" Caroline asked enthusiastically, "I'll ask Bonnie to come too."

Elena's nervousness returned at the sound of Bonnie's name. Right now, she didn't want to hang out with anyone who knew about the spell, "Let's just go, the two of us. You know, spend some quality time together."

Caroline giggled at the other end, "You _do_ know you sound incredibly lame?"

Elena smiled. It was nice to know Caroline still treated her the same way. "I'll meet you there at eight."

"Don't be late." Caroline said warningly before she hung up.

Elena inhaled deeply and opened her closet, looking for something to wear. She could have fun. She could have a good time. There was no need to get all worried that her feelings haven't faded yet. They'll go away eventually. In the meantime, she should enjoy herself and live her life like she used to. And right now, she had a feeling that The Grill is the place to be tonight.

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**Thanks for all the reviews! I'm finally writing DELENA scenes! ;P**

**mmchamp12: hmmm you're right, I didn't really think about that. Forgive the mistake please. ;) **

**smithsbabe65: Again, I thank you for all you have written! You have no idea how much your reviews mean to me. **

**Barbara SGB: You are the most faithful reader EVER.**

**Bookworm-with-bite: I'm a bookworm too, LOL.**

**Thanks for reading! Please review! :D**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Elena**

Damon was at The Grill. He was the first person she saw when she walked in. It was easy to spot him because he was always the dead center of attention. Right now, he's got a blonde admirer sitting impossibly close to him, clinging on to his every word.

Elena tried to look away. She didn't want to gaze longingly at Damon all night, and her certainly didn't want Caroline to notice anything different with her. Tonight was supposed to be _fun_. Caroline was chatting away beside her, but she couldn't hear a word. All she could see was Damon. Damon at the bar; Damon still wearing the leather jacket she gave him; Damon flirting with that blonde; Damon smirking like he always did…Why did it bother her so much? Because right now, all she wanted to do was grab the blonde talking to him by the hair and drag her away from him.

Elena sighed. Apparently, she didn't handle jealousy very well. Damon hadn't even raised his head when she walked in; he was too deep in conversation with Blondie there. He was smirking in an incredibly sexy way, and his eyes were shining. Why were his eyes shining? What were they _saying_? He looked as if the previous scenario at the Boarding House never happened; like the broken spell did not affect him whatsoever. Was this because he really didn't care? Elena bit her lower lip as she felt pain flow through her. The thought that Damon didn't care whether she loved him or not hurt her more than words could describe.

She was staring right at him. Even though she was across the room from him, she knew he could feel her gaze, but he never caught her eye. Maybe he was avoiding her. That thought made her cringe even more. Elena grasped her beer tightly. Was this her fourth? Or fifth? She didn't know. Elena seldom drank, but this seemed like a special occasion. She was never good at throwing back alcohol, and now her head felt a little dizzy.

Just then, Damon said something that made Blondie throw back her head and laugh, and Elena could see her amazingly white teeth. Elena's eyes narrowed when Blondie repeatedly touched Damon's arm. And he seemed to be enjoying it too. All Elena wanted to do at the moment was walk over, block Blondie from Damon's view, and kiss him.

"Elena? Elena? Are you with me here?" Asked Caroline, waving a hand in front of her eyes.

"What?" Elena snapped her head back, finally tearing her eyes away from Damon, "I mean, yeah. What were you saying?"

"I was saying…that guy over there –" Caroline wiggled her eyebrows and dropped her voice mysteriously while suppressing a giggle, "– was totally checking you out."

Before Elena could look around to see who Caroline was talking about, Damon jerked his head up and looked over at them, an incredulous expression on his face. A small smile touched Elena's lips when she realized Damon was listening in to their conversation all along.

"Really? Where?" Elena asked, feigning interest. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see anger break over Damon's handsome face and congratulated herself for making Damon jealous.

"Behind you," Caroline instructed, "Why are you so interested? I thought you and Stefan were inseparable." She couldn't help but roll her eyes at the last word.

Elena turned her head to look over her shoulder, seeing a friendly looking guy with sandy colored hair smile at her warmly, "Um, no…Actually, we kind of…broke up." She said absent-mindedly to Caroline.

"You _what_?" Caroline yelped, "And you didn't think of telling me? When did this happen? Why'd you break up?"

"We just…fell apart." Elena shrugged, trying not to make a big deal out of it. She knew it was a big deal, but right now, she didn't want to talk about it.

"Wow," Caroline shook her head, "Are you okay though?"

"Fantastic." Elena lied. Great, now she's lying to Caroline too. "Actually, I'm _very_ interested in that guy." She emphasized, making sure Damon could hear her. "I think I'm going to talk to him."

Caroline's eyes bulged, "Really?" She squeaked out in a tiny voice, "A-Are you sure? Maybe you've had too much to drink, Elena. I mean, how many beers did you have?"

"No, no," Elena said, watching Damon's reaction, "He's just my type." She said purposely.

"Since when is big and bulky your type?" Caroline asked, bewildered.

"Since always." Elena said, standing up and swaying slightly. She put on a big fake smile and walked over to the guy with sandy hair by the pool table.

He seemed surprised at her arrival and immediately stood up straighter, running his hand through his hair nervously and grinning back at her, "Hey."

"Hi." Elena nodded.

"I'm Sam."

"Elena," Elena replied, getting more uncomfortable by the second. She walked around the table until she was standing right next to Sam and also getting a good view of Damon, who looked at if he wanted to throw something at Sam.

Normally, she wouldn't have talked to guys like Sam. He looked nice, but she couldn't tell if it was a façade or not. She was trying to keep the smile on her face so hard that the muscles around her mouth twitched.

A short distance from her, Damon set down his drink unhappily. This was just _great_. He comes to The Grill to blow off steam, and sees the _one person_ he wanted to get away from. And that one person was flirting with another guy. Weren't she supposed to be with Stefan? Or did that love spell make her grow a totally different personality? And who was this _Sam_ anyway? What a stupid name.

The blonde girl in front of him – what was her name again? Marie? Mandy? – was still chatting happily about herself, but he heard nothing. He was hanging onto every word Elena and that tall guy was saying. She was smiling at him. And he was smiling back. He offered to show her how to play pool but Elena shook her head. Then Sam turned around, standing directly in front of Elena and blocking Damon's view completely. God, what a dick! Damon thought angrily, craning his neck to look at Elena.

"So, if you need a ride home, my van's right outside." The Sam guy was saying.

"Um…" Damon heard Elena hesitate, "It's okay, I came with a friend."

Damon breathed out a sigh of relief. He didn't want Elena riding with strangers. However, he did want a solid reason for breaking that guy's neck…

Across the room from Damon, Elena refused Sam's offer politely. She was regretting more and more why she had come and talked to him. They obviously had nothing in common, and all Sam cared about was sports. It turned out he was the stupid-jock type; a type she never really liked. Itching to get away from him, Elena inched away form him, only to find Blondie flinging her arms around Damon and dragging him to the dance floor.

"On second thoughts, a ride would be nice." Elena said at once, surprising even herself. What was she doing? She barely _knew_ this guy! She didn't even know his last name! What if he's a convict? Or a murderer? But it was too late to back out of it now; Sam's arm had curled around her waist, making her tense up completely. Still smiling at her, he guided her to the door.

On her way outside, Elena saw Caroline gaping at her in disbelief and gave her a weak smile. She didn't catch sight of Damon again as Sam led her out to the night.

"So…um…where's your van?" Elena asked, feeling scared all of a sudden. Out of the noisy crowd in The Grill, she felt alone and vulnerable. A part of her wanted to step inside again, but Sam kept a very firm grip on her.

"It's over here." Sam said, gesturing to the back of The Grill. Elena's brows furrowed wearily. The sound of Sam's voice was changing. He no longer sounded warm. Now, the words he said sounded harsh, and his voice was menacing.

"You know," Elena said quickly, trying to break free, "I think I'll just go back with my friend."

Terror surged through her when she realized that Sam – or is that even his real name? – had no intention of letting her go.

"Let's have a little fun first." Sam growled into her ear, pushing her into the wall with amazing force.

Elena shrieked, but Sam threw a massive hand over her mouth, making her shriek die immediately. Pushing her against the wall, he bent his head to suck on her neck, slobbering all over her.

Tears wounded up in the corner of her eyes as Elena tried to shove Sam off of her, but he was too big and way too strong. Her pushes only turned him on more, and his other hand traveled over to the front of her blouse.

Elena wanted to scream, but the hand clamped over her mouth was so tight she was having trouble breathing. She squeezed her eyes shut in despair when he pushed his knee between her legs.

_Damon._ She thought desperately. _Damon. Damon, please. Please come. _She begged over and over again, calling his name in her head and hoping he'd turn up to save her again. But seconds passed and still no Damon.

Elena was growing hopeless; her energy was slowly draining away due to lack of oxygen. She could feel her eyelids getting heavier and heavier and wondered if she was going to pass out. Just when she wanted to close her eyes completely, Sam gave a yelp of surprise and was thrown back from her.

Elena's eye shot open as air made its way into her mouth again. Damon had grabbed Sam by the collar and swung him across the pavement, making him crash into a parked car at the far end of the parking lot. Swearing, Damon aimed a kick at him, making him groan in pain.

"D-Damon," Elena stuttered, relief washing through her.

Damon immediately discarded Sam and went to her, his eyes concerned. Elena looked so small and so scared huddled against the cold wall. She was shivering, but not due to the cold. Damon hugged her to himself tightly and guided her away from the bastard, "I'm driving you home."

Elena nodded, momentarily forgetting how to speak. He had come again to her rescue again. And she was so grateful that she didn't know how to express it. If it weren't for him, she'd probably be raped by now.

Damon's expression was serious as he made sure Elena was seated securely in the passenger's seat. He had known from the moment Sam asked to give Elena a ride that something was going to go wrong, but it took him quite a while to untangle himself from the blonde yapping away in front of him. Thank God he wasn't too late. If Elena hadn't called his name when he was kicking Sam, he'd have probably tortured Sam to death. The guy deserved to rot in hell for what he did to Elena. Gripping the steering wheel very tightly, Damon, made a sharp turn and stopped in front of her house.

Neither of them said anything as Damon ushered Elena inside, his arm still around her. They ran into Jeremy on the stairs, but Jeremy, seeing the look on Elena's white face, refrained from saying anything, for which Damon was grateful.

Damon stayed with her as she showered and changed. When she finally climbed into bed, looking very small under the blankets, Damon turned off her lamp for her and turned to leave.

"Damon?" Elena asked quietly.

Damon stopped and listened intently to what she had to say, but no words came after his name. Understanding her completely, Damon took off his jacket, "I'll stay." He said gently, answering her silent question.

In the dark, a small smile broke over Elena's face as Damon slid into bed and gathered her once more into his arms, embracing her tightly.

"It's okay now." Damon assured her.

"I know." She replied, squeezing her eyes shut, "You're here."

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**Sorry that this is a little shorter than the usual ;( It's just that I'm SO busy lately. But I LOVE writing this, and I can't seem to stop!**

**I want to thank all the people that read this. Like I said, this is my first story! *wink wink* **

**And to everyone who reviewed: you guys are amazing! There will be no story if it weren't for you guys. **


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**Elena**

Waking up with her head on Damon's shoulder was definitely one of the best ways to wake up ever. She could just lie in his arms forever. There was no Stefan to interrupt them this time. Feeling Damon's chest heave under her cheek, Elena smiled peacefully. She could definitely get used to this.

Her alarm clock rang at that moment, the shrill sound echoing around the room. Muttering under his breath, Damon swung an arm to the nightstand, meaning to turn off the alarm, but he underestimated his own strength and swashed the clock instead, sending pieces of fragments all over the table.

"Oh, shit…" Damon said groggily, squinting at the direct sunlight, "Sorry, Elena."

Elena giggled. Damon was so cute sometimes. "It's fine. I never really liked it anyway."

Damon yawned and stretched, his shirt riding up to expose his rock hard stomach underneath. Blushing furiously, Elena turned away. Why did he have to do that in front of her? Didn't he know he was killing her here?

Elena threw off the covers and got up from her bed, gathering some books and stuffing them into her bag. Damon got up too, though slowly, as though he hasn't slept well.

The truth was that he _hadn't_ slept well. Last night, Elena had fallen asleep on his arm; her face was so close to his that he could feel her hot breath on his lips. He had stroked her hair until dawn, watching her for hours and hours, afraid to move a muscle. Thank God he was a vampire, or else his arm would be as numb as a rock.

"How about I take you to school?" Damon asked as he pulled on his shoes.

Elena smiled again, touched by his consideration. "Yeah, that'd be nice. I –"

"Elena!" Aunt Jenna called loudly from downstairs. "Stefan's here to drive you!"

The smirk slid off Damon's face completely. Elena watched as his expression turned from soft to hard. This wasn't what she wanted… And what was Stefan doing here anyway? She opened her mouth to explain, to tell Damon that she would like him to drive her to school, but Damon had already turned around and was now putting on his jacket; the one she gave him.

"I guess that's my cue to leave." Damon said grimly, not looking at Elena. Without waiting for her reply, he went out of the window.

Sighing in frustration, Elena threw her bag onto the floor. Why is it that every time she came close to having a moment with Damon, someone or something had to come and disturb it? She knew Stefan was just being nice and kind to her right now, but she couldn't help blaming him a little for Damon's departure.

Elena pulled on her clothes quickly and went down the stairs to find Stefan waiting for her patiently. He smiled at the sight of her and she smiled back politely, but not really meaning it.

"Hey." Stefan greeted her happily. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah," Elena said, "Let me just…grab a piece of breakfast."

Something in her voice told Stefan she was just a tad annoyed.

"You okay?" He asked gently.

"Hm?" Elena raised her head from the toast she was grabbing, "Oh, fine." She replied.

Stefan asked no more and took her bag for her, a gesture that once Elena thought was sweet but now a little dominating. She smiled tightly and walked out of the door. She felt so uncomfortable that it scared her. How could she be uncomfortable? This was _Stefan_ here. He was her soul mate, her forever, her fate…wasn't he? It was funny how just one little spell destroyed whatever she had with Stefan so thoroughly.

In her mind, it wasn't supposed to be like this. When the spell was broken, she thought her feelings for Damon would fade instantly, and her love for Stefan would come flowing back. She thought that she'd be with Stefan again, and everything would be just the way they were before this spell. Except that everything that's happening now didn't match what she had pictured in her head. She was still in love with Damon. Every time she sees him, it was like an electric vibe runs through her. She's never felt so much passion for anyone.

And Stefan? The days she spent with Stefan when they were together seemed so far away now. When she looked back on everything that happened between them, it was like watching a movie, starring someone else's life.

She was walking side by side with Stefan right now, but she felt no intimacy. She felt like they didn't connect anymore. Was it because of her? Was _she_ the one who changed? Her thoughts were growing so heavy that they hurt her head. All she wanted at this moment was to get to school and be in a crowd of fellow classmates.

Stefan hugged her around the waist at that moment, jerking her away from her thoughts. Elena could feel herself tense up completely and willed herself to relax, but her body was as rigid as a board against Stefan.

"Stefan…" Elena said, taking his arm from her waist, "I need to talk to you."

"Yeah, sure. What is it?" Stefan asked, his voice genuine.

Elena took a deep breath and looked at Stefan seriously in the eye, "I'm not…ready to be 'us' again, Stefan." She said, still gripping Stefan's arm, "I think I – I need some time." She finished, lowering her head and dropping his hand.

"Elena…" Stefan said softly. He sounded a little desperate.

"It's just that a lot of things are changing," Elena continued quickly, "And, well…" Her voice trailed off as she ran out of words to say as well. She stole a look at Stefan; he looked hurt, which was what she had predicted anyway.

"Elena, it's okay." Stefan said finally after a long pause, "I understand."

"You do?"

Stefan pulled Elena into a warm hug and kissed the top of her head, "I'll still be here if you change your mind."

**Elena**

The ride Stefan gave her to school was beyond awkward. Even though he tried very much to act like nothing was wrong, she knew things were different with them now. A small voice inside her head kept asking her if she made a mistake. She's been with Ste fan for a long time, was it really rational to throw it all away just because her feelings for Damon haven't subsided yet? Those feelings, they'll go eventually, right?

Elena was glad they finally arrived at school. She practically fled into the hallway after exchanging a quick goodbye with Stefan.

However, the first person she saw when she got to her locker was an angry Caroline followed by Bonnie.

"Elena!" Caroline said fiercely, "You have no idea how _worried_ I was yesterday! I mean, you just _left_ with that guy! What happened then? Did you get home okay?"

Before Elena could even open her mouth, Bonnie cut in.

"Wait a minute; you guys went out last night?" She asked, her eyes searching Elena's face.

"Yeah…" Elena muttered, staring downwards, "It was no big deal…"

"And you picked up a guy?" Bonnie asked in disbelief.

Elena bit her lower lip nervously, "I just talked to him." _And almost got raped by him_. She added grimly inside her head.

Bonnie raised her eyebrows, "So you're over Damon now?" She asked dubiously.

"What?" Caroline asked loudly, "Damon? What does _he_ have to do with –"

"Yes." Elena answered quickly, "Totally over him." She tried to sound breezy, but her voice came out choked.

"That's funny," Bonnie said and crossed her arms, "Given that you're still bounded by the spell."

"I – what?" Elena stared at Bonnie, not quite understanding what she was saying, "No, we broke the spell yesterday, remember?"

Caroline's eyes rounded with surprise, "What spell?" She asked curiously.

"Or so we thought." Bonnie said. Her tone was serious.

"Can someone fill me in here?" Caroline asked from the back helplessly, but both Elena and Bonnie ignored her.

"What are you talking about?" Elena asked Bonnie, dropping her voice as well.

"The hairs we burnt; the ones you and Damon pulled from your heads?" Bonnie leaned in and spoke quickly, "That wasn't right."

"_What_?" Elena asked in disbelief.

"I called Lucy right after you left yesterday, and she told me that we were supposed to burn the _original_ hairs. You know, the ones we first used when the spell backfired?"

"_What spell?_" Caroline demanded loudly, but was ignored once again.

Elena's mouth dropped open as her brain processed the new information, "So…" She asked carefully, afraid to break eye contact with Bonnie, "The spell's still intact?"

"That's right." Bonnie said, and crossed her arms, "So do you want to tell me how exactly are you 'totally over Damon' with the spell still working?"

Elena smiled guiltily. She felt so relieved that it was as though someone had lifted a burden off her shoulders. So her continuous feelings for Damon were normal. There was nothing wrong with her after all. It was the spell messing with her feelings. "Bonnie," Elena said, "I was scared. I thought I was in love with Damon even when the spell's lifted."

"You're in love with Damon?" Caroline gasped, apparently mortified by this conversation.

Bonnie's face softened at Elena's confession. She took Elena's hand in her own, "Well, you should have told me how you felt instead of going to bars and flirting with strange guys, you know."

"Noted," Elena agreed, "Do you still have the original hairs?"

"Yeah, I kept them just in case," Bonnie said, "Let's go to the Boarding House today, and we'll make this right once and for all, okay?" She asked gently.

Elena nodded and hugged her, "Thanks, Bonnie."

Together, they started walking to class.

"Nobody tells me anything!" Caroline called to their backs.

**Damon**

Damon was depressed; actually depressed. The morning after he left Elena's, he got a call from Bonnie, telling him that the attempt to break the spell yesterday was futile, and that the spell was still active.

When he first heard the news, he was surprised, but soon, that feeling turned to depression, which settled itself nicely in the pit of his stomach. Here he was, thinking that he and Elena might have _had a moment_ after the whole Sam incident, but it turns out that was still because of this spell. He wanted desperately to punch something; or someone (somehow Stefan's face flashed before his eyes at that thought). The night before with Elena, in her bed; that wasn't real. That was just a result of the spell. Hell, everything that happened between them these weeks weren't real. Everything happened for a reason: the damn spell.

After the spell was first casted, Damon was actually happy about it. He thought he'd finally have a chance of having Elena love him back. But all her feelings were unwilling. All she would ever love was _Stefan_. It's just always Stefan, isn't it? It always had to be him. This spell was like a curse, filling Damon up with hope, then taking everything away from him again.

Elena didn't love him. Everything was a lie.

So today, as soon as he got out of Elena's house, he went to a bar out of town. He couldn't remember the last time he drank this much, but he knew how to hold down his alcohol, so he indulged himself.

Right now, as he sits in his living room with his feet up the coffee table, he waits patiently for Bonnie and Elena's arrival. To say the truth, he couldn't wait to get rid of the spell. He's had it with the whole "false hope" thing. He just wanted it _over_.

Voices reached his ears, so clear that it would be impossible _not_ to hear them.

"So this time it'll be over for good, right?" Elena's voice.

"I promise." Bonnie said solemnly.

"Wait," Said a third voice, "Let me get this straight. You and Damon are in love? Like, right now?"

Damon rolled his eyes. They had brought Vampire Barbie with them. More company. Great.

"I suppose that's one way of putting it…" Elena said wearily.

"That's so…weird." Caroline said back.

"It's going to be over soon." A deeper, male voice told them soothingly.

Ah. Baby bro's here too. How nice.

The door opened and in piled the four, all of them stopping in their tracks at the sight of Damon.

"Ladies," Damon raised his glass to greet them, his eyes mocking Stefan.

Bonnie was the first to move. Again, she took out a candle and put it on the coffee table, "Well, since you're here, let's get started." She took out a small container that looked very familiar to Damon. He realized that this was where she kept the original hairs.

Before Bonnie could ask Elena to come forward, Damon took the hair that belonged to him from the container. He wanted to be the first to burn it. He certainly didn't want to see Elena hesitating like she did before again, because her hesitation only mad him hopeful even more. He hated being hopeful when there was nothing to be hopeful for. Like he said, he wanted it over. He's had enough of this stupid spell.

The candle ignited, and Damon fixed his gaze on the dancing flames. Pausing for only a millisecond, he dropped the hair on the fire. In a flash, the hair was gone; not even leaving ashes.

Damon stood up straight, aware that every pair of eyes in this room was staring at him. He smirked at them, deliberately not looking at Elena, "My part's done. I'm off." And with vampire speed, he went out the door before any of them could say anything in return.

It was indeed over this time.

**Elena**

Elena's heart fell. Damon hadn't even _looked_ at her. She guessed she couldn't blame him. The spell made him go through a lot too. She sighed softly. For a moment there, a part of her wished that Damon would refuse to burn the hair so they'd still be in love, but he had burned it just like that, without a moment's worth of hesitation. He must have been really fed up with this spell.

Her fingers curled around the lonely, curly hair in the container and pulled it out. There was no reason for her to hesitate this time: Damon had already burnt his. Lowering her eyes to the hair in her hands, she brought it to the flames.

Then, it was like someone suddenly screamed in her ear, and Elena pulled her arm back, her eyes filled with disbelief as she stared at the hair.

"Elena?" Bonnie asked, startled by her reaction.

Not saying a word, Elena shakily brought her free hand to her head and pulled out one of her own hairs and compared it to the original one in her other hand. Both hairs were brown, but her own hair was straight and thick, and a little darker, whilst the other one was curly and thin. _They were different. _The hair she was holding; the one Bonnie used in her spell; it wasn't hers.

"Elena?" Bonnie asked again, feeling fear at Elena's silence.

"This isn't my hair." Elena said softly, holding up the original hair taken from the container. Her head was buzzing. What did this mean? Was this why the spell failed in the first place? Because it wasn't her hair to begin with?

"What do you mean?" Stefan asked.

Elena swallowed, "Look at this. The color, the length, the thickness…it's not right. It isn't mine."

Stefan examined the hair from behind her, "You're right." He said quietly.

"But…" Bonnie stuttered, "Damon got these for me. He took this hair from Stefan's bed." She explained.

"It's Katherine's." Elena whispered. "Isn't it?" She raised her head to look at Stefan.

Stefan pursed his lips together, "It's possible. Remember a few months back, when Katherine was terrorizing everyone? She especially enjoyed toying with my dreams. There was this one time when I woke up from a nightmare to find her in my bed, pretending to be you. This hair could be from then."

"It makes sense." Bonnie said, her eyes widening, "Remember when I was casting the spell, the flame shot a mile high? It's probably because I used Katherine's hair instead of yours, and, well, this spell wasn't made for vampires, so that's why it didn't turn out the way it's supposed to be.

Elena sat down on the couch, her thoughts running around in her head. The words they were saying reached her ears ever so slowly. "So the whole spell had nothing to do with me? Bonnie performed a spell that consisted of Damon and Katherine?"

No one said anything at that.

Realization slowly reached Elena's numb brain. They had been trying for weeks to break this spell, but all this time, there _was _no spell. Bonnie _thought_ she had casted a love-spell. Both Damon and her _thought_ they were under said spell. But the truth was, no spell was casted in the first place. It had been Katherine's hair, not hers, and that meant…

Elena took a deep breath. She raised her eyes to look at the rest of them. They were all staring back; they knew what she was thinking, but none of them said anything. Reality was right there in front of her, waiting to be acknowledged.

Drawing in another shaky breath, Elena's voice came out a whisper, "So all this time, I was falling in love with Damon…on my own?"

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**Hi! I don't know if I expressed myself clearly with this whole spell thing or not… (I've been writing different essays for different Universities and my brain just isn't working anymore…) I hope you all understood what I meant! ;P**

**Thanks to all the reviews. I had a BLAST reading and re-reading them. **

**WSX****，我提到你了。我也想你。****;)**

**Next update won't be til 2011 due to the college applications I'm going through… (Urrrrrrgh!)**

**So, did everyone have a Merry Chirstmas? :D**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**Elena**

She needed to see him. She _had_ to. She didn't even know what she would say to him or how to explain the whole thing to him, but all she knew was that she needed to see him. Right now.

Grabbing her car keys from the counter, Elena pulled on her jacket and headed for the door.

"Elena!" Bonnie called, "Where're you going?"

"I need to find Damon." Elena said determinedly.

No one tried to stop her. No one tried to talk her out of it either. All of them had thought she would freak out at the fact that she was never spellbound and her feelings for Damon were genuine, but she had handled the situation beautifully. It was like she was relieved that her feelings were real.

Elena took one last look at Stefan, who looked lost and confused. She knew that he wouldn't take it too well. She tried to send him an apologetic look, but he wouldn't catch her eye. Sighing, she went out the door.

She had no idea where Damon would be. She had spent too much time in the Boarding House, trying to accept reality, which gave Damon a tremendous head start. The last thing she wanted at the moment was for Damon to think that the spell was broken and she wanted nothing to do with him.

Driving around aimlessly for a while, Elena decided to stop at The Grill; but one swept around the room told her Damon wasn't there. Elena felt disappointed as she went out of the bar and into her car again. She ran over all the places Damon could be in her head, and her heart leapt when she thought of the one place Damon was bound to go to: the open-air restaurant by the lake he once took her.

"_Welcome to my sanctuary,_" He had told her, "_…I used to come here whenever I wanted to get away from reality. It's just…peaceful here._"

She could practically hear his voice in her ear as she started the engine hurriedly. She drove for a while, trying to remember the road he had taken when he drove there, but her memory continues to fail her. It had begun to rain, making it all the harder to see. Elena wished she had paid more attention to where they were going the first time Damon took her to the restaurant. She had been driving around for a half hour, and there was still no sign of the restaurant. She remembered it to be at the opening of the woods, but once she drove into the thickly dotted trees, she found herself completely lost.

Elena fumed as she took another wild turning, hoping with all her heart she could reach the restaurant, but she just came to face more trees. The sun had set completely, and she could only squint to make out the shapes in front of her windshield due to the rain.

Another five minutes of driving like this, and Elena finally gave up. She had driven so far into the woods that it was impossible for her to go on now. The trees were too close together, leaving no space for a car to pass through.

Pulling on the hood to her jacket, Elena climbed out of the car to into the pouring rain and slammed the door behind her. She was determined to find Damon. She didn't know how long she walked. Her Converse sneakers were soaked, and her whole body was dripping water. Her teeth were chattering together as she walked past another weirdly shaped tree that looked oddly familiar. She was almost certain that she saw this tree before. Was she going in a circle?

Elena's heart sank as she saw her car parked alone by the trees. She had indeed walked in a circle, and was now back to the beginning. She got into the car again, shivering all the while.

Elena turned on the heat and hugged herself around the middle. She was freezing. Her hair was plastered to her face, and her fingers and toes felt numb. She had never wanted to see someone as desperately as she wanted to see Damon right now. She would tell him she loves him…and not because of the spell either, but because she really did…She would kiss him repeatedly…She would whisper the three little words again and again…

Feeling her eyelids grow heavy, Elena drifted into a very uncomfortable sleep.

.

She woke up to the tapping on her window. Her eyes flew open at the sight of Damon in the rain.

"Damon!" She exclaimed and unlocked the car doors immediately. Before he could come in, she jumped out and threw her arms around him. She didn't care that they were standing in the rain. She didn't care that they were both wet. She didn't care about anything at the moment.

Letting go of him, Elena stared into his blue eyes. Yes. This was it. _Love._ This had to be it. She's never felt like this before; like she was about to explode for feeling so much emotions. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him.

She could tell he was surprised, but he kissed back hungrily, one hand reaching up to tangle in her wet hair. The rain slid down their faces and over their burning lips, but neither of them took notice. They kissed until they were drenched.

Tearing her lips away from him, Elena rested her forehead against Damon's while he hugged her around the waist.

"How'd you find me?" She whispered against his lips.

"Stefan called." He murmured in a low voice, "Told me you were out looking for me. I knew you'd go to the open-air restaurant. …And I knew you'd get lost along the way too."

Elena smiled, closing her eyes, "Did he tell you anything else?"

"No," Damon replied simply.

Pulling Damon into the backseat of the car, Elena closed the door behind them. She was barely aware of the fact that they had been standing in the rain for quite a while now. The coldness didn't bother Damon, as he was a vampire, but she was shaking like a leaf.

Damon took off her wet Converse sneakers and her socks, along with her jeans, leaving her to sit in her underwear. He took her tiny, narrow feet in his hands to warm them. Elena smiled at his consideration. She could actually feel her love for him growing as seconds tickled by.

"Damon…" She said.

He raised his head, his eyes questioning.

"There was no spell," Elena explained, "…Everything that happened, everything I said to you and every kiss…that was all real." Her voice was dropping as she willed herself to put all her feelings into words, "Damon, I…" She looked up at him.

He stared back, waiting for the rest. He knew where this was going. He knew what she was going to say, and he would feel his heart pounding in his ears, which was impossible since he _had_ no heartbeat.

"I love you." She finally whispered.

Damon swallowed, "Tell me again."

"I love you." Elena repeated with even more emotions than she did the first time.

A small smile broke over Damon's face. A true smile. She hasn't seen him smile in forever. He always smirked, or snickered, or grinned cockily at her, but never a smile. Yet now, he was smiling, and there was definitely a sparkle in those blue eyes.

"I love you." He said back, leaning forwards to capture her lips again.

When they broke apart, they were both breathing heavily.

Damon leaned back, looking arrogant again, "And I knew there was no spell. Stefan told me."

"But you just said –!"

"I lied," Damon smirked at her, "I wanted to hear you say everything to me."

Elena smacked him playfully on the chest, only making him smirk wider. He leapt at her and tickled her. Elena squealed with laughter as tears rolled out of her eyes.

"Damon! Stop! Stop!" She shrieked.

Damon rolled his eyes and kissed her instead, making here laughter die instantly as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Elena gasped as he turned his head to nibble on her earlobe, the tip of his tongue licking the inside of her ear expertly. She could feel her whole body shivering with anticipation. And judging by the bulge in Damon's jeans, he must be just as turned on as she was.

She nudged closer to him so she was sitting in his lap. He tipped his head to kiss her again, tugging on her lower lip. His hands crept up her shirt. She giggled as they found her breasts and squeezed them; teasing her nipples and making them harden against his palms.

Elena reaches up to circle his neck, bringing him closer for another round of kissing. Their tongues danced, and he continued to palm her breasts, making her break out of the kiss and gasp.

"Damon…" She whispers, "Our first time isn't going to be in the backseat of Jenna's car…"

"Duly noted," Damon sighed and took his hands out of her shirt. He rested his forehead on her shoulder and closed his eyes.

Elena felt a little bad for rejecting him. A thought ran through her head, surprising even herself. She wanted to give him head.

She's never done this before. With Stefan, even though he asked her for it a few times, she always refused. She thought it would be weird. And Stefan never pushed her into something she didn't want to do, so their sex was…just fine. The traditional style. Nothing new or exciting.

But now, it was Damon, and she loved him so much that her chest hurt. Taking a deep breath, Elena lowered her hands to his belt.

Damon raised his eyebrows and looked at her, "I thought you said –"

"Just relax," She replied.

Damon understood immediately and lied back onto the leather car seat, a cocky grin on his face. Blushing like mad, Elena undid the button on his jeans and zipped it down. She can't believe she was about to do this. She doesn't know what went over her. Was it because she wanted desperately to please him? Or was it because she just loved him so much?

Seeing the hesitation, Damon said gently, "Elena…Have you not done this before?"

Elena cheeks reddened as she nodded slowly. She looked so adorable that he couldn't stop grinning. It was amazing that she's doing this for him now, that she's willing to do something she's never done before.

Elena lowered her gaze and pulled down his jeans and underwear to mid-thigh, then settled herself into a kneeling position between his legs. It was so dark that she could barely see him, but she felt him and he was very hard. Slowly and carefully, she lowered her lips to the head and closed her mouth around it. His breathing quickened, urging her on as his taste filled her mouth.

But Elena stopped. This all felt very unfamiliar.

She let go of him and looked up, "Teach me." She said.

Damon nodded and mentioned for her to take him in again. She does, tasting him on her tongue. It wasn't a bad taste. In fact, it was so sexy that she kind of like it.

"Suck me, babe." He moaned.

The moaning turned her on. Her hand closed around the part of him that could not be put into her mouth and slowly stroked him. She tightened her lips around him. He was so big and so hard that she was a little scared. She didn't want to bite him accidentally with her teeth. She wanted him to enjoy this.

"Is this right?" She asked him, dubious about the procedure.

"Yes." Damon whispered. His voice was low, "Are you sure you've never done this before?"

Elena smiled and took him in again, her tongue swirling circles around his head. He took her other hand and put it over his balls and she gently rubbed them, except she didn't know if she was doing it right or not.

She wanted to ask him again what to do next, but he told her repeatedly how good this feels, so she stopped herself from asking. His hands came to her hair. She thought he was going to press the back of her head to keep her there, but he didn't. He just ruffled her hair gently around her ears, so she couldn't hear anything at all besides her own heartbeat.

Elena didn't know how long she sucked him. Twice, he pulled her up to kiss her while stroking himself. She got back down voluntarily. She liked his taste.

Elena tucked her hair behind her ears because they get in the way and continued working him. Once or twice, she gazed up at him.

Breathing rapidly, Damon stared down at her. Her eyes were round, and she looked so cute with his cock in her mouth and that innocent look on her face.

Unable to control himself, Damon thrust into her mouth a couple of times, and she tried her best to stay steady. She was starting to wonder why it took this long. Or was it because it seemed long to her because she was in this position?

Next thing she knew, hot, thick liquid was pouring inside. It wasn't a lot. It was just a small mouthful, which was less than what she had anticipated.

Elena swallowed the content and licked him clean. It didn't taste as bad as she thought it would. It is just salty. That was it. And it tasted like him, which was incredibly sexy.

Slowly, Elena got up to sit beside Damon. He looked embarrassed as he pulled his pants back on. "Just spit it out," He said sheepishly.

Elena looked at him innocently, "I swallowed it."

Damon's expression changed slightly. Sighing happily, he pulled her into a hug. For a long time, they merely hugged each other. Elena squeezed her eyes shut and rested her chin on his shoulder. She was head over heels for this guy. All on her own. And she had a hunch that this feeling wouldn't be going away anytime soon.

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**A few more chapters and I'll be done with this story! I'm starting a new one immediately, so to anyone who likes my writing or my style or plot or whatever, please add me to your author alert!**

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**Going to sleep now, hope I get some ****reviews****. *wink wink***


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**Elena**

Everything felt too god to be true. Elena was smiling as she pulled the covers up to her chin. Damon had taken her home straight away; not wanting Aunt Jenna to get even more anxious than she already was about Elena's whereabouts. They had talked all the way in the car, from small, unimportant things like the rain that day to their feelings. Elena's throat actually felt a little dry from all the talking. She never thought Damon as the loquacious type, but maybe that was just because they never talked like they did tonight.

Tonight, the masks, the pretenses, the façades; everything fell away, and their mutual feelings for each other were finally revealed. Elena smiled again. She had _never_ had such a conversation with Stefan. They had talked plenty of times, sure, but with Stefan, those talks remained, well, _talks_. They weren't as meaningful as what she experienced tonight. To say the truth, they didn't even come close.

She knew she wasn't supposed to compare. That wouldn't be fair to either Damon or Stefan. But she couldn't help it: she had something special with Damon; something she never had with Stefan, though she can't really explain it.

Elena never thought of herself as the gooey, mushy type of girl when in a relationship. But right now, she was feeling like a lead actress in one of those lame, romantic comedies. And she _liked_ that feeling. It was something new, something so exciting and exhilarating that her breath quickens every time she thinks about Damon. It was like…like…Elena searched her head for the word. It was like _fate_.

She hadn't predicted for this to happen. Three months ago, if anyone had told her she'd fall in love with Damon, she would've been in disbelief. But now, all of that was reality. She _had_ fallen in love with Damon, and nothing could have stopped her. A twist of events with the fake spell brought out all her feelings for him. Maybe she's always loved him, she just needed a catalyzer.

Elena sighed happily and rolled over on her bed. She didn't know how long she had been awake. Even though everything that happened today made her exhausted, she wasn't sleepy at all. Instead, she kept on playing the moments with Damon over and over again in her head; like playing a movie. She'd pause at some moments and re-live them again, feeling happier and happier each time she was finished.

She couldn't wait to see him again. She actually _missed_ him, which was just ridiculous, because she just saw him a few hours ago. Unable to wait any longer, Elena took her cell phone from the nightstand and dialed Damon's number.

He picked up on the first ring, "Lonely already?" He teased.

Elena smiled even though she knew he couldn't see her, "Hey. I thought you'd be asleep. It's two in the morning."

"Couldn't sleep." He replied simply and truthfully.

Elena's heart leapt at the answer. Was he thinking over what happened to them as well? "Me neither." She admitted. "I miss you." She added after a short pause.

Damon was silent for a moment before he spoke, "Wait there, I'll be over in s second."

"Oh, no, I didn't mean –" Elena didn't even finish her sentence as a tap on her window interrupted her. Stunned by his speed, she hurried to the window to open it.

Grinning wickedly at her, Damon climbed in and embraced her tightly, breathing in her scent.

Elena hugged back. It was amazing that a simple hug said everything. She felt so close to him.

"That was quick." She commented. It had taken him literally only a second.

"I was just outside your house." Damon admitted.

"You were?"

"Yeah, I…didn't want to leave," Damon muttered, looking even a little abashed now, "I was on the roof, looking at the stars." He finished sheepishly.

Elena's eyes lit up, "I've never done that." She said in awe.

"Come on up with me." Damon suggested, wiggling his eyebrows at her playfully.

Nodding enthusiastically, Elena hurried over to her dresser to find a pair of socks. Damon looked over her shoulder and swiftly caught hold of one of her red, lacy bras and pulled it out.

Holding the straps in both hands, Damon smirked at her, "Oooh, fancy. I like this."

Elena snatched the bra from him hands and rolled her eyes. Typical Damon. Pulling on a pair of socks, she reached for her shoes.

"None of that," Damon stopped her, "I don't want you to slip. Socks provide more friction."

Elena nodded and waited by the window as Damon fetched an old quilt from her closet. He rolled it up under his arm and climbed out of the window. Elena followed him. She was feeling giddy as he helped her up to the roof. This was one of the craziest things she's ever done with a boyfriend. _Boyfriend._ She said to herself again to get used to the term of words. He was her _boyfriend_ now. Damon Salvatore.

Elena shrieked with laughter as Damon caught her wrist firmly to stop her from slipping. He had already unfolded the quilt. Elena has never seen something so appealing right now. She laid down next to him. Sure enough, there were a million stars in the sky. Elena wondered why she never noticed how beautiful the night sky was. Or maybe all things are beautiful as long as she was with Damon.

"This is beautiful." Elena whispered. Turning her head so her chin touched Damon's shoulder, she found out that Damon was not looking at the sky, but at her. A faint blush crept upon her cheeks.

"Yeah," Damon agreed absently, "Beautiful." He said, while staring at her.

Elena looked into those startling blue eyes. How could anyone refrain from falling in love with him? It seemed impossible to her right now. She was turning into a romantic. Looking at stars on the roof? She never thought she'd do that, yet here she was.

"There's a lot to face tomorrow, you know." She said softly.

"Like what?"

"Like telling everyone we are together." Elena replied, "I have a feeling Aunt Jenna and Jeremy wouldn't be so supportive."

"Don't worry about that," Damon said reassuringly with a wink, "I can be very charming."

"I'm sure," Elena laughed. She snuggled closer to Damon on the old quilt and stared up at the glittering sky. This was definitely one of her favorite moments ever. "We've come a long way." She said to no one in particular.

Damon pondered what she said, "Yeah, and every step was worth it." The words had already left his mouth before he realized how corny he sounded. Was he turning into Stefan? Or was he like this because it's Elena? He couldn't remember the last time he had a relationship with anyone. The closest he'd ever come to love was with Katherine, but Katherine was juggling both him and Stefan at the same time, so that couldn't really be counted as a relationship, could it? That meant that what he had with Elena right now was the first relationship he's ever been in all his life. And all his death.

"I'm thankful for the fake spell." Elena said, and meaning it too.

"Remind me to send Bonnie a fruit basket for that." Damon chuckled lowly.

"I love you." She said again.

It wasn't the first time he'd heard this, but he was surprised all the same, "I love you too." He replied quickly, feeling like he's been hugged inside out.

Elena smiled and closed her eyes, finally falling into a deep asleep on Damon's shoulder.

Damon watched her as her breathing slowed. He hugged her tighter. He loved her so much that those three words could not express his feelings. It all seemed very unreal to him. He was with Elena. _Elena_. And it wasn't a dream, it was all real.

**Elena**

When Elena woke up the next morning, she found herself safe and sound in her own bed, and the old quilt folded neatly at the foot of her bed. She smiled as recollections of last night's events played before her eyes.

Humming joyously, she pushed the bathroom door open to find Jeremy rinsing.

"Oh, sorry," She apologized quickly.

"Yeah, no prob," Jeremy replied. Then he caught her reflection in the mirror. She looked like she hadn't slept all night. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her eyes looked a little blood-shot. But the weirdest thing was she was practically _glowing_. She was beaming at him, and she looked beautiful; dark circles and all.

"Somebody's in a good mood," Jeremy raised his eyebrow at her.

Elena laughed, her laughter bouncing off the walls, "Yeah, I suppose I am."

"What, good dream?"

"Something like that." Elena replied mysteriously and said no more as she backed out of the bathroom.

The whole day went by perfectly. She couldn't stop smiling at everyone, and she was in such a good mood that it felt like nothing could bring her down. There was a surprise quiz in History, but that did not affect her at all, instead, she did fairly well in it. Both Caroline and Bonnie were afraid how she'd react, since they didn't know what happened after she left the Boarding House to find Damon, but upon seeing her bright smile, they knew everything worked out fine.

Caroline was happy for her (and just a tad jealous she was so happy), but Bonnie was a little doubtful. Elena didn't blame her. It was going to be hard to get Bonnie to accept the fact that they were a _couple_ now, but she was sure Bonnie would come around.

The only setback to this would-have-been perfect day was when Stefan pulled her away as soon as school was over to talk to her.

"Elena," He said seriously.

Elena looked up at him. He looked even worse than she did, which was hard because he was a vampire. But he looked so tired that she was afraid he would fall asleep talking to her.

"Elena, are you happy with him?" He asked. His voice was desperate, as if wishing for her to answer that she wasn't.

"I am." She replied truthfully, "I'm sorry, Stefan."

He shook his head, "Don't be." He slurred his words, "It's not your fault. I don't blame you."

The way he said it made Elena think there was something more. "Are you blaming Damon?" She asked quietly.

Stefan said nothing.

"Stefan, that's not fair," Elena said, "He didn't ask for this."

"If he hadn't asked Bonnie to cast the spell in the first place…"

"But there was no spell," Elena said hastily, "We just _assumed _there was."

Stefan looked at her sadly, "Yes, but if that spell didn't happen, maybe we'd still be…together." He finished with a sigh.

"Some things happen for a reason, Stefan," Elena replied gently.

Stefan nodded. He stared into Elena's eyes for a long time before pulling her into a friendly hug, "Well, if you're happy, I'm happy for you." He said and caressed her face before pressing a soft kiss on her smooth cheek.

**Damon**

Across the pavement from Stefan and Elena, Damon watched in horror as his little brother kissed Elena. They were wrapped in a tight embrace, which looked suspiciously like they were making out.

He felt like swearing. He felt like rushing over there and throw Stefan across the road. He was so angry and so hurt that his hands were shaking. Elena wouldn't do that, would she? She was no Katherine; she couldn't possibly want to be with the both of them.

He whirled around and got back into his car. So much for his plan to surprise Elena by showing up and taking her out for dinner. He was fuming as he started the engine and drove away, catching another glimpse of Stefan and Elena pressed together in the rear view mirror.

Suddenly, all the reasons that he refrained from relationships, especially monogamous ones, came rushing back to him. He closed his heart after Katherine because he _never_ wanted another experience like that. He closed his heart to protect it, and for 145 years, it had worked too. Falling in love with Elena wasn't planned, it was just something that happened which he couldn't explain.

For nearly a year, he was frustrated with himself for loving again, but he couldn't help it. He sank deeper and deeper. Yet she was Stefan's girlfriend. Even though she's with him now, she was Stefan's ex-girlfriend.

Would she seriously choose him over Stefan? He remembered all he'd done to her and that wouldn't be forgiven easily. But last night was so…magical. She wouldn't be thinking about getting back together with Stefan, would she? This was Elena. One of the many qualities she had was loyalty.

Maybe she just needed time to get used to the idea of him. He comforted himself. Maybe old habits die hard. Maybe a kiss on the lips doesn't necessarily mean anything. Maybe…

He shook his head.

Maybe it was just too hard for her to love someone like, well, like him.

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**So close to the ending! :) I can't believe I'm about to finish this. We have exams next week, so again, I'm busy. Sorry about the delay!**

**I already came up with the ending. I hope all of you read it and like it!**

**Please REVIEW! And if you want, add me to your author alert so you can read my next story coming as soon as I finish this one. :P**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**Elena**

"Stefan, please," Elena murmured, pushing him away from her. She knew he meant well, but this was just a bit too much. Besides, she was with Damon now, and it wouldn't be fair if she went around cuddling with her ex-boyfriend, who also happened to be his brother.

Elena turned her head just in time to see a very familiar car zooming out of sight. Her heart sank as she recognized the vehicle. It was Damon's. Beside her, Stefan was also staring at the car.

"Did you hug me because you knew Damon was there?" Elena whirled around and demanded, her eyes flashing with anger.

"No, of course not," Stefan shook his head, "Elena, I swear. I wouldn't do that."

Elena looked at him long and hard. When did he get so distant? Why did it take a lot for her to believe him? She shook her head, "Whatever, Stefan. I need to find Damon and explain to him before he assumes the worst." She turned to leave, but he caught her wrist and pulled her back.

"Elena," He said. His eyes were pleading, "…I love you."

Elena's eyes softened, "…I know. I'm sorry."

"I thought the two of us together meant…"

"I know." Elena repeated quickly, cutting off whatever he had to say, "I'm really sorry about everything, Stefan, but…it's over now. I had a great time being with you, really, I did, but I think that in a way…everything that happened was just so I could be with Damon."

Stefan lowered his eyes to hide the sadness, "Yeah, okay. I understand." He gave her a strained smile and walked away.

Elena sighed as she watched Stefan drag his feet. She'd always known that he would take the news badly, but he was making this so much harder. She grabbed her car keys and dialed Damon's number as she got into her car, but all she got was his voicemail. She stepped on the gas pedal, trying to make home as soon as possible. She was actually planning for the four of them, Jeremy, Jenna, Damon and herself to have dinner together so she could tell Jeremy and Jenna that they were together. She didn't want everyone not to know about their relationship, and she certainly didn't want Damon to think she didn't want to be seen with him.

_From: Elena_

_Want to tell Jenna and Jeremy about us over dinner?_

She texted him while waiting for a red light. She figured the best way to deal with this was to pretend nothing happened. And as soon as she sees Damon, she will explain to him that the hug between her and Stefan didn't mean anything at all.

After about ten minutes, he replied.

_From: Damon_

_I'll make reservations._

Short and concise. And so formal that Elena frowned at the reply. It didn't sound like Damon. She sighed and put her cell phone away; it seemed like he had indeed seen Stefan hug and kiss her cheek. It must have been weird for him, Stefan being his brother, and her being Katherine's doppelganger and all…

Elena tried not to think about that as she pulled into the driveway. Only yesterday, nothing mattered except being with Damon. Yet a day has passed and all she could think about was how complicated their relationship was.

She opened the door just in time to see Jeremy pulling on his jacket and grabbing his keys.

"Hey, where're you going?" Elena caught his wrist.

"To a party Tyler Lockwood's throwing at his house." Jeremy replied carelessly, "You wanna come?"

"No, um, you can't go," Elena said uneasily.

Jeremy raised his eyebrow, "I can't go?" He repeated in disbelief.

"I was thinking of having dinner together. Some place nice."

"Just the two of us?" Jeremy asked again, now practically gaping at her, "Sis, are you asking me out?"

Elena smacked him on the arm, "No! Jenna, too. You know. You…me…Jenna…and…and my boyfriend." She said elusively.

Jeremy shook his head, "That'd be beyond awkward, Elena. I mean, Stefan's okay and all, but I doubt –"

"It's not Stefan." Elena said quickly, blushing like mad now.

"…Someone new?"

"Yes." Elena answered as nonchalantly as possible. She almost added _He's really nice, you'll like him,_ but stopped herself just in time.

"And he wants to take me and Jenna out for dinner as well?" Jeremy asked again.

"Yes." Elena repeated. She didn't really trust herself to speak more than one word right now.

Jeremy's eyebrow rose so high that it came dangerously close to disappearing into his scalp. "Okay…fine, then." He finally agreed.

**Elena**

Elena was wearing an emerald dress that would have gone great with the vervain earrings Damon had given her weeks ago. But bad news was when she was combing her hair and looking into the mirror, she found she was wearing only one earring. She had searched the entire house and her car as well, but couldn't find the other one. She felt devastated. The earrings were the only thing Damon had ever given her. She couldn't _believe_ she lost one. Even though she was pretty sure Damon would just buy her another pair when he finds out, she didn't think it would be the same.

Right now, Elena was having a hard time staying in her seat. Aunt Jenna had driven them to a _very_ nice restaurant out of town according to the address Damon texted her. The 8:00 reservation was under the name Gilbert, so they were led in immediately. Except it's 8:15 now and still no Damon.

It was quite cool in here, but Elena could feel beads of sweat on her forehead. The waiter had asked them (nicely) whether they would like to order three times already, and each time Elena had refused politely, saying that they were waiting for one more person. Her table with Jeremy and Jenna looked out of place and awkward in this elegant place due to the fact that there were nothing but a few glasses of water on it.

"Where _is_ this mystery guy?" Jeremy asked for the thousandth time.

Elena checked the clock on the wall. 8:23p.m. "I don't know," She admitted, "He's never been late before. Let me just…call him." She wanted to call Damon so badly that she nearly tripped over herself when she got up from her seat.

However, all she got was still his voicemail. She texted him again, asking him where the hell he was, but no reply. Elena was getting very anxious now. It would be a _disaster _if Damon stood her up. He wouldn't though, would he? He wouldn't think the worst of her after that scene with Stefan, would he? He trusted her. He always did. There was no reason to stop now.

Elena took a few deep breaths to calm herself down before putting on a fake smile and going back to her table, "He'll be just a few minutes." She said, desperately hoping it was true.

"Elena, it's been half an hour." Jenna said gently, "Maybe he isn't showing up."

Elena's face reddened, "No, I'm sure he's –"

"Sorry I'm late." Said a voice behind her, almost making her jump out of her seat.

"_Damon?_" Jeremy demanded in a strangled voice, "_You're_ the boyfriend?"

"The boyfriend," Damon repeated, sliding in his seat next to Elena while planting a kiss on the top of her head, "I like that." He smirked.

"Elena…" Jenna started, "You're dating Damon?"

So many emotions ran through her that she needed a minute to compose her reply. She was so relieved that Damon had shown up that she didn't really pay much attention to Jeremy and Jenna's reactions.

"Um…yeah." Elena said with a genuine smile this time.

"She found me irresistible." Damon said with a wink.

The looks on Jeremy and Jenna's faces were priceless. They both looked like they had just witnessed a murder. Elena thought they were over-reacting a bit.

The waiter came over again, this time with the right timing, so Elena picked up her menu (which she had been reading for the fourth time) to order.

"Mr. Salvatore," The waiter said before she could even open her mouth. She looked at Damon in disbelief. Why is it that every time they went out for dinner, the waiters all knew him?

"Serve what I ordered on the phone, please." Damon replied without missing a beat.

The waiter nodded and retreated. Seconds later, appetizers were served. While Jeremy and Jenna were busying their self with the food and trying their best to overlook the fact that _Damon_ was the mystery boyfriend, Elena used this opportunity to nudge Damon under the table with her knee.

"_Where were you?_" She whispered, barely moving her lips.

"_Traffic,_" He whispered back simply and turned back to his food.

Elena's heart sank. Even though Damon was acting normal, his reply indicated that something was wrong. And she had a pretty good idea what that "something" was her encounter with Stefan.

When main courses were served, Jenna warmed considerably towards Damon because he had ordered her the smoked salmon, one of her favorite dishes.

"How'd you know I prefer fish?" Jenna asked incredulously as Damon poured her some wine.

"You told me once. At The Grill. You probably don't even remember." Damon said politely.

"You're right. I don't." Jenna said, looking at Damon with a whole new perspective now, "I can't believe you remembered."

Damon grinned back and Jenna returned the smile.

_One down._ Elena thought silently as her eyes traveled over to Jeremy. He was picking his food, glaring at Damon. She kicked him lightly under the table, and his eyes traced momentarily to her before returning to Damon. He looked so angry that she wondered why Damon hadn't noticed.

Nevertheless, dinner went by smoothly. Jeremy barely said a word to all of them, but Jenna was laughing and joking like her old self in no time. At the end of the meal, she even said Damon had changed.

Damon took care of the check after they finished and offered to drive them home, but Jeremy walked out the door without a word to any of them. Jenna followed him hurriedly, leaving Elena and Damon to stand in the parking lot awkwardly. They watched as Jenna tried to persuade Jeremy. In the end, Jeremy climbed into Jenna's car reluctantly. Jenna gave them a shrug and climbed in as well.

"I guess it's just us, then." Elena said uncertainly.

Damon said nothing and ushered her into his car.

"Damon…" Elena said as she closed the car door, "What you saw between me and Stefan…"

Damon turned around to look at her, "It's fine."

"No." Elena said, "No, it's not. I don't want you to pretend you're okay with it."

"I'm not," Damon replied, "But I trust you."

Elena looked up in surprise. Out of everything she thought Damon would say, she never thought he would wave this matter aside with a simple, "I trust you."

"Damon…" She whispered, "Stefan hugged me because he was happy for me. For us. Not because we were getting back together. The kiss was a bit too much though." Elena touched her cheek self-consciously, as if feeling Stefan's lips on them.

Seeing Elena's fingers on her cheek, Damon understood. Stefan _hadn't_ kissed her on the lips like he thought. It was on the cheek. Elena didn't even have to tell him that, because he _knew_. He knew from her gesture, yet he couldn't explain how. He felt like a huge weight has been lifted from his shoulders.

"I wasn't late because of the traffic," He admitted, "I was driving around aimlessly because I didn't know what to think. I thought Stefan kissed you. On the mouth. It looked like it."

Elena's eyes widened in surprise, "He didn't, Damon, I swear he didn't."

"I know." Damon said reassuringly, "But I didn't know that a few hours ago. So I drove past your house, your school…Then I went to the woods. You know, the place where…"

"I know." Elena whispered.

"Well, I was sitting in my car, thinking about you, and I realized that after all we've been through, it would be just stupid not to trust you, to even let myself think for a _second_ you'd betray me. As soon as that thought entered my mind, I drove back to the restaurant."

Elena smiled and slid her hand on top of his on the steering wheel. Damon grasped her hand tightly and continued speaking, "Ugh, enough of that corny crap. Did I leave a good impression or what?" He asked arrogantly, the corner of mouth twitching up into a smirk.

Elena laughed lightly, "Aunt Jenna practically welcomed you into family. You were brilliant."

"I know, right?" He asked back haughtily, making Elena roll her eyes.

Damon drove her over to the Boarding House instead of her house and opened her door for her. Elena smiled and wrapped her arms around Damon's neck, pressing a gentle kiss on his lips. "Thank you for a lovely evening." She said huskily.

Damon kissed her back hungrily with way more passion than Elena was ready for. She was almost knocked off her feet as his lips moved expertly against hers, tugging playfully on her lower lip.

"Damon…" Elena whispered, "Is Stefan – ?"

"He's not here." Damon murmured and hugged her close to him, feeling her warmth and wanting more of her against him.

Elena didn't even care that they were outside at the moment. She inched her head to kiss him again, this time with all the force she could muster.

"Oooh, rough." Damon smirked, "My kind of woman." He picked her up bridal style and raced into the house with abnormal speed.

Elena felt wind swishing around her face, and the next second, she was thrown onto the master bed in Damon's bedroom. She had never been here before, and she was curious as hell, so she looked around the room as Damon climbed on top of her.

"Look later, sex now." Damon grunted, poking her in the waist and making her squeal with laughter.

Elena stopped laughing abruptly as Damon took off his shirt. His body was so _perfect_ in every single way. There wasn't an ounce of fat anywhere, and his smirk only made him sexier. Slowly, Damon lifted her dress above her head, kissing her bare skin along the way. Elena obliged happily, shivering under his gentle kisses.

Soon she was laying in her bra and underwear under him, her body full of anticipation. Damon was awed by her beauty. Damn, she was so beautiful. So beautiful that _breath-taking_ wasn't a strong enough word to describe her. He wanted her so much that he felt himself ache.

Damon slowly unhooked her bra and removed it, revealing her smooth, rounded breasts. He kissed both of them lightly, playing with her nipples with his tongue, causing Elena to arch up against him. She was breathing heavily now with her lips parted.

Damon took his time making his way down her belly, leaving wet kisses along the way. Elena was writhing beneath him. She wanted to urge him on, but she also enjoyed the slow torment. It was a feeling she'd never had before.

Wickedly, Damon kissed and teased her inner thigh. He could feel Elena tense and gave her a few seconds to relax. When her breathing slowed a little, he pushed her underwear, the last barrier between them, away.

Without giving her time to accommodate this time, Damon ran his tongue across her clit. She was very, very wet.

A noise that sounded like a combination of a gasp and a shriek escaped Elena's throat as Damon's tongue worked wonders on her. She never knew she could feel this way. She felt so _alive._ She felt like she was _burning_.

"Is there…" Elena gasped, unable to make out a cohesive sentence at this point, "…anything you're…_not…_good at?" She asked.

Damon chuckled, "Sexually?" He licked her lips and received a load moan from her, "No."

Elena wanted to roll her eyes at his arrogance, but she didn't have the energy to. She could hardly control her body. She didn't know what Damon was doing down there, but it felt _wonderful_. She was already close, and it had only been a few minutes.

But all of a sudden, Damon stopped.

"Damon," Elena breathed, "Please don't stop…"

But Damon looked like he was listening intently to something. A second later, he climbed off of her as fast as he could and picked up his shirt from the floor. Instead of putting it on, though, he threw it at her.

Elena caught the shirt that smelled like him in bewilderment, "Damon?" She asked. She couldn't understand what went wrong. One minute, they were fooling around in bed, the next; Damon was racing around the room, gathering their clothes.

"Put it on," Damon said quietly, "Shit, I can't find your dress. Stefan's here."

"_Stefan's_ here?" Elena demanded as she pulled on Damon's shirt over her head. What was _wrong_ with Stefan? Why did he _always_ have such bad timing? "Should I leave?"

"Of course not," Damon replied, surprised at her remark, "And you can't anyway. He can smell you. He must have something to tell us if he's willing to interrupt."

A few seconds later, Elena heard footsteps on the stairs. Damon climbed back into bed and threw the covers over them. He randomly picked up a book from the nightstand and shoved it into her lap so she didn't look so conspicuous while he himself closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Elena opened the book to and pretended to read. It was The Catcher in the Rye. She was a little surprised that Damon read at all, but this seemed like the kind of book he would like anyway. With her heart pounding in her chest, she began to read silently to herself.

_I felt so damn happy all of a sudden, the way old Phoebe kept going around and around. I was damn near bawling, I felt so damn happy, if you want to know the truth. I don't know why. It was just that she looked so damn __**nice**__, the way she kept going around and around, in her blue coat and all. God, I wish you could've been there._

Elena stopped abruptly as she heard the footsteps stop right in front of Damon's room. A second later, Stefan knocked.

"Damon?" He asked through the door, "…Elena?" His voice sounded funny when he said her name.

Damon opened his blue eyes and wiggled his eyebrows at her, almost making her giggle. As soon as she said "Come in", Damon closed those beautiful eyes and feigned sleep again.

Stefan walked in looking embarrassed, though he was somewhat relieved to find Damon asleep. It was easier to talk to Elena. But the fact that she was wearing his shirt made Stefan's stomach turn over. He wasn't sure he was strong enough to accept that they were sleeping together now.

"I didn't want to interrupt…" Stefan murmured, "But…Rose is gone. I thought I should tell you immediately."

"She's _gone?_ Gone where? Is she okay?"

Stefan smiled sadly at Elena's consideration. Rose wasn't exactly "best buds" with Elena, yet here she was, worrying about Rose.

"She says she is," Stefan replied, "She said not to look for her. The werewolf bite is…changing her. I can't explain it. She didn't want us to see her like that, so she took off."

Elena yelped.

Stefan looked at her curiously and saw her face redden. "Are you ok?"

"Mm-hm." Elena choked out through closed lips. Damn Damon! His fingers had crept up her thigh and he was now playing with her under the blankets. Elena stole a glance at Damon. He still looked innocently asleep.

"So, anyway," Stefan was saying, "It'd be pretty dangerous to leave her alone now. I don't know. When Damon wakes up, I have to discuss this with him."

"Sure," Elena squeaked as Damon's thumb tapped her clit mercilessly. She was starting to sweat now, and she willed for her eyes to focus on Stefan. She tried squeezing her legs together to keep Damon from moving his fingers but he was too strong.

Stefan was still talking, but Elena couldn't hear a word. All she could feel were Damon's fingers on her, stroking her lightly and slowly, then suddenly gathering speed. She gasped lightly as she felt herself getting wetter and wetter. She wondered if Stefan would notice, but at that moment, she didn't care. Stefan droned on, yet she couldn't hear a word. He seemed to be speaking to her from a place far, far away.

Elena glimpsed at Damon again. He was still pretending to be asleep, and doing a good job of it too. His eyelids fluttered though, indicating that he was indeed awake. And she could swear there was a tiny smirk on his face as he continued to move his fingers, this time plunging his index finger into her.

Elena gasped.

Stefan stopped talking and looked at her curiously, "I'm going hunting now, but tell Damon I need to talk to him when he wakes up," He said.

Elena nodded, not trusting herself with words.

Stefan nodded back too and turned away to leave, "Bye, then."

"Bye," Elena said in a quivering voice.

Stefan closed the door gently. As soon as Damon was sure Stefan was out of earshot, he threw the covers off and jumped at Elena, almost looking like he was tackling her. Elena shrieked as they rolled over on the bed together.

"I can't believe you!" She pushed him on the shoulders, but he didn't even budge.

Damon smirked playfully, "What? It's not like you didn't enjoy it."

She said no more and kissed him forcefully on the lips. He kissed back immediately and within seconds, they were naked in bed. Damon rolled on top of her and stared into her eyes while positioning himself near her entrance. He had dreamed of this too many times, waited too long, and yet, now, here she was, lying beautifully naked beneath him, breathing heavily and staring at him through lusted eyes.

He bent his head to kiss her again. He could never get enough of that. She was like a drug he had to take, and if he didn't, he'd die. Well, metaphorically speaking, of course, since he was already dead.

"I love you." He said seriously. He couldn't remember the last time he sounded this serious. He didn't know what came over him. All he knew was he had to say it to her. Now.

Elena blinked and looked at him. "I love you too." She said, letting a smile break over her beautiful face.

Damon waited no more and pushed himself into her. They both groaned at the friction and the feeling of them finally together.

Elena's arms moved upwards to curl around his neck. She couldn't believe how _perfect_ they were for each other. It was like they fitted together like two pieces of puzzles. She sighed happily as he started to thrust into her.

For a while, neither of them said anything. Elena kept her eyes open so she could see Damon, and he didn't look away the whole time. His hands went to fondle her breasts and she moaned in reply. Countless times, they kissed and broke away, then kissed again as though they couldn't stop.

When Elena screamed his name and went into spasms uncontrollably under him, Damon collapsed on top of her as well. They were both gasping. Damon closed his eyes as his breathing slowed to normal. It would take Elena a little more time, he knew. Completely sated, Damon gathered her into his arms and hugged her tightly to his bare chest. He loved her so much. And he was so grateful for the fake spell that he felt like picking Bonnie up and spinning her in a circle the next time he saw her. He was with Elena. Nothing else mattered.

Elena's breathing evened as she buried her head in Damon's chest. She'd never felt anything like it. It was _never_ like this with Stefan. She was so happy that she felt like she would explode.

She raised her head and looked at him. He smiled back silently, as if knowing exactly what she was thinking. His smile seemed to say that he felt the same way. Elena hugged him back.

Suddenly, Damon turned over a little to retrieve something from the pocked of his jacket, which was thrown over the bed. Smirking, he opened his hand in front of Elena to reveal the tiny object.

Elena gasped at the lost vervain earring resting peacefully on his palm, "How'd you –?"

"Guess what I found in the woods?" He taunted in a sing-song voice.

Elena smiled and took it from his warm hand. She put it on and tucked her hair behind her ears to reveal both earrings. Damon stroked her hair lovingly and kissed her forehead.

Right now, it felt like forever.

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**I updated as soon as I finished my tests (which was today)! I did okay in Math and stuff, but I was completely HOPELESS in Politics! :(**

**Anyway, I will be posting the LAST CHAPTER in a few days. Warning: The ending will be short, simple but sweet. **

**Oh, since I don't want to stop writing, I guess I'll be posting the LAST CHAPTER of Under Your Spell with the FIRST CHAPTER of a new story I am writing. (Still Delena)**

**It's called ****Worlds of You****, so please look out for it!**

**Also, please review and let me know what you're thinking! :P**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17-Ending**

**Stefan**

It has been eight months. Eight _long_ months for him. Eight _long_ months since Elena and Damon had gotten together. He had been counting. It was pathetic and creepy, but he counted anyway.

Stefan rubbed his eyes and poured himself another drink from Damon's collection. Ever since he and Elena broke up, he had been drinking. A _lot, _too. He didn't want to, of course. It wasn't like him to be like this, but he couldn't help it. He needed something to ease the pain, and the only solution was drinking. He wished he could switch off his feelings, but somehow he couldn't. Maybe that was because he could _never_ switch off his feelings when it came to Elena.

Stefan settled back onto the couch in the Boarding House and recounted the days again in his head.

Their last anniversary, Damon had taken Elena to Hawaii. They came back wearing those flowery, tacky shirts that Stefan never liked. Elena couldn't stop talking about it for _weeks_. They were planning to go there again when she has time.

The month before that had been Elena's birthday. Damon ran all over the place and threw her a surprise party. Bit common and uncreative, really, but Elena was so happy. They had the party at The Grill. Stefan was there, of course. Elena was all "What are we doing here, Damon? I thought we were going to dinner together.", and then when they walked in, everyone yelled "Surprise!", which Stefan thought was pretty stupid. But Elena was really surprised. She went around hugging everyone, even him, though it was a short one, and the whole evening went by beautifully. Stefan could tell Damon was pleased with himself for that because Elena kissed him smack on the mouth in front of _everybody_. Stefan had looked away purposely, though. It still hurt him to see them together, even though he was trying very hard to be happy for them.

And the month before that…Damon had gotten her a puppy. One of those cute fluffy ones with floppy ears. A Labrador, maybe, he couldn't remember. Elena was squealing all over the place. She _adored_ it. Stefan, on the other hand, didn't really get attached to the puppy. Since he mostly hunted for blood, it was weird for him to be so close to an animal and not attack it. And in a way, he thinks the puppy can sense that about him. It never really liked him whenever he was there.

And the month before…Stefan rubbed his temples. He couldn't remember. Was that the month where Damon took her to visit Rose? Or was that the time they made an album together consisting of all of their pictures together? So many memories, yet they weren't even his. They belonged to Damon and Elena. He gulped down the rest of his drink and poured another cup. He hated the way he'd become. It had been eight months, and yet, here he was, still sulking.

To say the truth, he never thought Damon and Elena would last this long. It was _Damon_, for God's sakes. But reality proved him wrong. They were still together, and they were still so happy with each other. Elena came over to the Boarding House constantly. Whenever they went into the bedroom, Stefan would go hunting. Sometimes, even though he was far away, he could still hear them in his head.

Damon spent nights at Elena's frequently as well. The surprise birthday party moved Jenna to tears, and she was treating Damon like an old friend now. Even Jeremy came around after what Damon did for his sister. It seemed like the couple had gained everyone's blessings. _Well, everyone's except his._ Stefan thought bitterly.

He reached for the Whiskey again, but found it empty. He had drained every drop of Damon's alcohol. Swinging his jacket over his shoulder, he decided to head to The Grill to order a few more drinks before calling it a day.

It took him mere seconds to get to The Grill. But as soon as he walked in, he knew he made a mistake coming here.

Elena was there.

She was alone though, and she was shooting pool all by herself, her lips pursed in concentration. Stefan stared at her for a few minutes. She had always been bad at pool. He thought melancholy. He wondered whether he should go up to her and say hi. Just because they were broken up didn't mean they weren't friends. They still talked and everything, but there was this unsaid distance between them. Elena never mentioned it, but he could feel it slowly growing. She had put him in the "Friend Zone", and she made it very clear that she didn't want him to cross that line.

"Excuse me, Miss," Stefan said to a waitress walking by. He needed a drink if he wanted to talk to Elena and act normal at the same time, "I'd like a Scotch on the roc –"

He stopped abruptly.

Damon had arrived. He seemed to appear out of nowhere right in front of Stefan with his back to him. Elena's whole face lit up at the sight of Damon. Stefan watched in wonder as her eyes sparkled and glittered under the light. She'd never looked at _him_ this way all the times they were together. She was smiling so widely that he could count her teeth. Damon walked towards her immediately, and she leaned in for a kiss, which Damon obliged happily.

They were smiling and kissing at the same time, the scene so romantic and movie-like that Stefan felt a little uneasy at witnessing it. He watched Damon walk behind her and lean with her against the table, showing her how to play pool properly. Elena laughed as one of his hands held her own and the other on her waist. Damon smirked and kissed her cheek, making Elena smile again.

A few feet away from them, Stefan felt glued to the floor. He wanted to move, to give them privacy, but he couldn't. He kept watching them. Neither of them took notice of him because they were so lost in each other's worlds. Stefan could hear Damon's whispers in Elena's ears, and he could hear her replies as well. A strange feeling rose up inside him. This was the first time in eight months that he didn't feel like getting drunk. Elena was so happy with Damon. What else was there? What else mattered? He loved her, he did, and he probably always will, but he no longer felt like sabotaging her relationship with Damon. This simple scene in front of him proved that they were, as much as he hated to admit it, prefect for each other.

Stefan watched them for a few more seconds before turning around and leaving them in their own paradise.

"Um…You wanted a drink?" The waitress stopped him and asked him hesitantly.

Stefan looked at her, "…No." He said softly, his eyes tracing over to the happy couple oblivious to his presence again, "No, I'm fine, thanks." He said to the waitress politely.

And then he walked out the door.

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…**And they lived happily ever after. The end! I finished it! Yaaaay! (And YES, the ending is adapted from Stefan's dream/nightmare from the original TV show) I wanted to thank a few people for their feedbacks and reviews. ****BadBoysAreBest, Miss Snazzy, mmchamp12, Fantasy Obsession, laurayette4445, remeyqueen74, Danni1989, Crimson-Kiss17, Rosesareforever, smithsbabe65, Barbara SGB, vampsaywhat, damons-hot-as-hell, Elmo13, LoveEpicLove…ect.**** Thank you guys so much!**

**Thank you all for reading! Hope you enjoyed it. :P **

**Again, the new story is called ****Worlds of You****. Read that too if you feel like it! I can't promise it'll be good, but I will definitely try my best. ;)**

**See you guys soon in a new story!**


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